Monster Hunter World: Strange Transformation
by Dragongod Eclipsen
Summary: After a crushing defeat at the hands of Nergigante, the Hunter is called by the Third Fleet Master. She gives him an experimental weapon, and tells him to use it on Nergigante. But when he does, something incredibly strange happens. (Probably some lemon later on.)
1. Chapter 1

The Handler stared at her partner nervously.

The Hunter named Eclipsen stood at the edge of the camp, glaring at the Elder's Recess with his arms crossed. He was squeezing his arms so tightly he could feel the claws of his modified Girros Vambraces slightly poke his skin through his armor.

The Handler, her true name Hether, watched from one of the Canteen tables built for off-base camps. She had watched him conquer the New World, but both of them were wary of their next target.

Nergigante. The Elder Dragon had interfered with both of the operations meant to drive away the gargantuan Zorah Magdaros, which was more than enough to gain Eclipsen's ire.

He was still nervous though. He, who had faced Fatalis and lived to tell the tale, and one of the hunters who had slain one of the three recorded Shagaru Magala. He was still nervous to face Nergigante, who was but an ant compared to both the Black Dragon and the Frenzy Beast.

Eclipsen would never admit that he was nervous, not that he verbally said anything anyway.

Hether saw it clearly though. She could tell that her partner was agitated, like every monster in the New World since Zorah Magdaros had arrived.

His posture was painfully straight and his mouth was stuck in a frown. His pale white hair was so still that you could tell when a breeze blew by.

In all honesty, she couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. His slicked back mane of hair paired with a Van Dyke Moustache and Goatee struck a cord with her.

Despite the painful memories behind it, even his eyepatch made her heart leap when she saw it. He fit her knight in shining armor complex better than she expected, and there was more than one instance when she questioned wether she was simply attracted to him, or if it was love.

Upon her inspection of him, she also took in his choice of gear for the upcoming hunt.

He wore a Dragonking Eyepatch that had hid his damaged left eye. Below that, he wore Beta Odogaron Mail, Beta Girros Vambraces that had been modified so that the metal claws extended to his elbows, Beta Death Stench Bowels, and Beta Girros Greaves.

Hether noticed that Eclipsen liked red and black, and colored his armor to fit his preferred color scheme.

"Are you ready for this?"

The Admiral, who they had forgotten was standing to the left of the camp, spoke. Eclipsen gave a glance, before nodding his head.

After a few seconds the Hunter moved to equip his weapon for the quest. His Palico partner, nicknamed Sundancer, watched curiously behind his skull shaped mask.

Hether stood to retrieve her book and register the quest, glancing as Eclipsen strapped the Heavy Bang shield to his left arm.

Unlike most hunters Eclipsen was right handed, meaning that he had to go without a Slinger for his first hunt in the New World while the Engineers made him a customized one.

Hether sighed as she finished signing Eclipsen's mark into the quest book before closing it and approaching her partner.

"Be careful, alright?"

Eclipsen's crimson eye looked deep into hers, wordlessly conveying both his confidence and his underlying fear.

"Don't worry Meowster! We're gonna give that dragon a pawful of pain!"

Sundancer meowed as he pumped his arnored paw into the air. Eclipsen gave a smile and patted Sundancer on the head.

The Admiral approached the three, bearing a confident smile.

"Remember, Nergigante is aggresive, but it is starving. It'll be slower than it would be if it was well fed. Use that to your advantage."

Eclipsen's expression hardened into one of determination and he cracked his knuckles under his gauntlets.

Hether felt a blush come to her cheeks upon the Hunter's display, but quickly shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind and returned to the task at hand.

"Do you want me to call in Ayla?"

Ayla was a fellow hunter that had joined Eclipsen in barging into the Fifth Fleet ships at the last second, and had in fact been a fan of Eclipsen.

She had been a trusted companion and hunting partner, as well as a very good drinker, having easily out drank multiple hunters before challenging her idol. They had tied, in the end.

Eclipsen gave a shake of the head, signalling that he wanted to go solo. Sundancer sunk a bit upon knowing that he wouldn't see Ayla's Palico, Strida.

Hether nodded as Eclipsen applied the last touches to his equipment, namely his Intimidator Charm, Health Booster and Vitality mantle.

After packing away his gear and properly tying the Heavy Bang sword to his waist, Eclipsen began to walk towards the Elder's Recess.

Hether watched as the Hunter moved away from the camp, her eyes beginning to shine with nervous tears.

"Good luck..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _Hi there, everyone. This one is gonna be a bit weirder than some of my other stories, and I hope I can write it without it getting too weird._

 _Please, leave a review or two, and enjoy._


	2. Chapter 2

Nergigante felt her stomach rumble for what seemed like the thousandth time.

She was hungry. Again. Now she had to hunt for a meal. Again. A meal that would be an amateur Aptonoth or another herbivore rather than her prized Elder Dragon cuisine.

She hated this. She hated the New World, as the human scum called it. She had traveled miles of blue liquid to the torture of her wings only to be greeted by a land devoid of any good food.

Nergigante growled and plunged her powerful paws into the crystal floor of the Elder's Recess, digging into the ground and tearing away at it in a rage.

She was starving, and she couldn't bring herself to feed off the worthless herbivores that other Elder Dragons consumed. It was beneath her, and it made her sick to even think about stooping so low.

She roared and slammed her horns into a nearby crystal pillar, making the structure collapse and the crystals shower her head.

Through her growls, she heard a peculiar sound. The sound of crystal crunching beneath a set of feet.

Her food obsessed mind took a few seconds to determine where the sound was coming from.

Behind her, a Hunter dressed in red and black armor walked briskly towards her, his sword and shield already shining in the light of the Elder's Recess.

Nergigante turned to face the Hunter, growling as he approached. She recognized the Hunter.

He was the one who denied her the full course meal that she sought, and drove her away from the gargantuan feast she desired.

Anger quickly filled Nergigante's mind and she let out a roar that shook the crystal around her.

The Hunter didn't flinch, as he had already put thick earplugs in his ears. He continued to approach, and Nergigante charged to meet him.

-Transition-

There was his target. He watched as Nergigante rammed a nearby crystal tower, shattering it.

Eclipsen continued to walk forward. He had drawn his sword long before he reached Nergigante's area, as well as shoved powerful earplugs made of a mixture of tree sap, Old World chewing gum, and wool into his ears.

It made it so that no monster except for the greatest of schreechers could bother him with their roar.

And it worked perfectly when Nergigante reared it's head and opened it's mouth and all Eclipsen heard was a sound similar to a light breeze.

The Elder Dragon then dashed at him like a beast from hell, it's horns pointed downward like a bull preparing to gore it's target.

Eclipsen sped his walk to a run, letting out his own war-cry as he charged toward the beast he had already faced two times over.

The Hunter jumped into the air as Nergigante lifted it's head upward at the end of it's charge, allowing Eclipsen to run down it's back and cut multiple slashes into it's spine.

Nergigante reared as the Hunter leaped off it's back and carved into it's tail. Nergigante turned quickly, slamming it's claws into the ground and dragging them across the floor.

Eclipsen rolled away just in time to feel the wind of the attack brush through his hair.

Then a Plunderblade dragged itself through Nergigante's shoulder, pulling valuable material from it's hide.

The Elder Dragon roared before glaring at the Palico who tossed the weapon.

"Meuh oh!"

Sundancer shouted as Nergigante charged towards him. Eclipsen quickly sprinted to the Palico's aid, leaping into the air and slamming his shield into Nergigante's snout.

The Dragon reeled, violently shaking it's head in an effort to dispell the pain.

Eclipsen quickly took the time to rake his curved sword across Nergigante's chest and send a second swing into it's arm.

The Elder Dragon roared before standing on it's back legs and burying it's horns in the ground.

Eclipsen failed to move in time, taking one of the beast's horns to his privates and sending him flying.

Eclipsen groaned as he rolled to a stop after being sent nearly ten feet through the air. Not to mention the pain between his legs.

-Transition-

Nergigante felt a small bit of joy as she watched the Hunter roll across the ground and curl up, seemingly in pain.

That was until the Hunter's cat companion slammed it's sword into her face, breaking one of her teeth loose.

Nergigante growled before swinging a paw into the Palico and sending the poor cat into a crystal tower.

She gazed at the fallen animal for a bit, feeling even more joy at the cat's attempts at trying to get up.

Nergigante looked back at the place the Hunter landed, only to see a blade heading straight for her eye.

-Transition-

Eclipsen heard the loud mewl of Sundancer despite his earplugs. The Hunter felt his blood boil, and his crimson eye began to glow.

Eclipsen forgot his testicles protests and dashed forward, snatching his sword off the ground. He had dropped the weapon during his flight.

Eclipsen growled as he swung the metal towards Nergigante's eye. Unfortunately, it reacted faster than he had hoped, only getting to bury the sword in the Elder Dragon's nose.

It still reared though, lifting Eclipsen into the air. He yanked the Heavy Bang from Nergigante's snout and let gravity take it's course.

As Eclipsen fell downward, he dragged his sword down his target's back, extracting a light yelp from the creature.

Eclipsen grappled a growing spike as he fell, stopping his decent. He then began to wail on the Elder Dragon's back, with each hit getting stronger than the last.

Nergigante began to writhe like a bull, forcing Eclipsen to dig his claws into it's hide in order to stay on.

It's energy did not last long and it fell into a calmer movement. Eclipsen took the opportunity and lifted his blade high into the air.

-Transition-

Nergigante felt the blade pierce her back and touch her spine. The following jerk to the side made the metal hit a nerve cluster, forcing her to fall to one side.

She roared as she struggled to get up, flailing her only working side to defend her stomach.

That didn't stop the Hunter, who she assumed that she had enraged, from slipping past her claws and wailing at her soft underbelly with his sword.

She felt the metal cut into her nearly twenty times over before her motor function returned.

Nergigante quickly took the opportunity, but the Hunter's hooked blade pierced her stomach and he pulled her back down onto her side.

Her right side was still weak, but it surprised her that the Hunter had enough strength to pull her.

It seemed that she had truly enraged him, and just like any other monster, he had gotten stronger because of it.

For the first time, she felt afraid. All she could do was wait and flail as her right side regained it's strength and the Hunter cut away at her belly.

-Transition-

Eclipsen felt a manic grin creep it's way onto his face as he unleashed his fury on Nergigante's stomach, carving nearly fifty cuts into it's hide.

His nearly demonic strength had surprised him too, until he remembered what the scientists had told him after his fight with Shagaru Magala.

-Transition-

The scientist handed Eclipsen a small pad of paper, and on it was a drawing of a cell with a smaller cell latched on.

The bigger cell was a regular red blood cell, and the smaller cell was a dark purple color.

"In short, the Frenzy Virus adapted to you. After Shagaru Magala's death, they binded to your cells and fused with your DNA."

Eclipsen frowned. He almost thought he could feel the Fenzy Virus driving him to destroy, but the doctors had already told him that it was his mind tricking him.

"When it bonded to your DNA, it altered the way your brain processes emotions. Anger is the most effected, but others are also influenced."

The scientist picked up another pad of paper and took the picture of the cells from him, handing him the other.

On the new pad, it displayed how normal emotions were felt and how they would be felt under the influence of the Frenzy Virus.

"The Fenzy Virus can't be called a virus anymore. It is a part of you. You don't have a chance of infecting others, if it's any consolation. It had to shed that ability to bond to you."

Eclipsen barely heard the scientist as he read the pad of paper.

 **Happiness - Enhanced and easier to experience**

 **Sadness - Harder to experience, but much more powerful**

 **Love - Enhanced to the level of animals. Once a partner is taken, they are kept.**

 **Anxiety - Easier to experience, and greatly enhanced**

 **Disgust - No noticeable change**

 **Pride - Harder to experience, but slightly enchanced**

 **Contentment - Harder to experience and slightly suppressed**

 **Hope - Much harder to experience and no other changes**

 **Anger - Greatly easier to experience, and enhanced to the point of murderous rage**

The rest of the emotions were also skimmed over, but Eclipsen couldn't focus on them at the moment.

Then a rare moment came about. Eclipsen spoke, much to the surprise of the scientist.

"So I'm going to be this way for the rest of my life?"

The scientist nodded sadly in response. Eclipsen put a hand on his forehead before dragging it down his face.

"Okay. I can live with this."

The scientist gave a questioning look, receiving a sigh in return. Eclipsen handed the paper back to rhe scientist.

"At least I have an edge in battle. Permanently."

-Transition-

Eclipsen felt his muscles enlarge with the Frenzy Virus working away in his body, making his strength skyrocket.

Nergigante lifted itself to it's feet for the second time before quickly slamming it's body into the distracted Hunter.

Eclipsen rolled backwards before dashing to the right as the Elder Dragon tried to ram him.

He slammed his shield into Nergigante's forearm, shattering the spikes growing out of it's scales.

Nergigante stumbled to the side once more, only to receive a Frenzy powered slash to the face.

The blade cut easily into the Elder Dragon's hide, causing blood to fly into Eclipsen's eyes.

Nergigante saw it's opportunity and swung it's arm into the Hunter, sending him flying backwards.

Eclipsen grunted as he collided with a crystal wall, quickly wiping away the blood in his eyes.

Once he opened his eyes, he saw Nergigante charging straight at him. He brought up his shield to block the strike, but was rewarded by Nergigante slamming into the wall.

It's horns were too wide to properly reach Eclipsen, making him grin when the Elder Dragon locked eyes with him.

He could almost see the regret in it's eyes as he brought up his sword.

-Transition-

Nergigante screeched as the Hunter's weapon cut through her hide and touched her skull.

She ripped out her horns from the wall and failed around like a bull, managing to dislodge the blade and throw the Hunter across the arena.

Nergigante felt her spikes harden as she faced down the Hunter. She felt a small twinge of confidence form as she roared and lauched into the air.

She saw the twinkle of fear in the Hunter's eyes before a smile tore it's way onto his face.

It confused her when he dashed towards her when she dove downwards.

She felt the ground crunch beneath her as her spikes shattered and broke off. She buried her claws into the crystal to stop her movement, and looked back to where the Hunter had ran.

There he stood, confidently pacing back and forth. Nergigante growled at the sight.

Her anger quickly overtook her fear, and she charged forward once more.

-Transition-

Eclipsen smiled as his target raged forward. He quickly matched her pace, watching for his opportunity.

Nergigante leaped at him, and as he expected, it overshot it's jump. Eclipsen slid as the dragon sailed over him, and thrust his sword upward.

The blade cut into Nergigante's stomach, but not enough to do fatal damage as he had hoped.

That is when the Hunter noticed the reproductive organs between the Elder Dragon's legs.

He quickly closed his eyes in response to the sight, but he was unable to banish the image from his mind.

He swiftly lifted himself from the ground, only to see Nergigante's claws collide with his side.

After that, his sight went dark.

-Transition-

Nergigante watched as the Hunter was thrown through the air, his body obviously given out.

He landed hard, and she thought she heard a crack when he met the crystal ground.

His Palico quickly moved to drag him away, with some admirable success for a cat a quarter the Hunter's size.

After they had made it past her area's exit, she saw a wooden contraption with more of the cat creatures approach and carry the Hunter off.

Nergigante let out a small roar of victory, before going over the battle in her mind.

She shook herself as she went over the events in her head, before she realised something.

He had slid under her twice, that meant he had seen her...

She then proceeded to fly into another rage, making the entirety of the Elder's Recess cringe as her roars echoed through the crystal infested landscape.


	3. Chapter 3

Hether couldn't stop herself from staring at her Hunter, who was currently unconscious on a medical cot.

She watched like a hawk as his chest rose and fell rhythmically, his muscles contracting and relaxing as needed.

She had to resist the urge to set a hand on his bicep and feel the muscle in her palm, which she thought deep down would feel somewhat like an uncooked steak.

After a few minutes of staring, she silently thanked the medical staff for installing curtains and reached out, allowing her fingers to brush over Eclipsen's shoulder.

"Woah!..."

She whispered as the muscle flinched when she touched it before relaxing. She gave a squeeze to the muscle, continuing to be amazed by how stiff the flesh was depite being alive.

She then moved her hand to his hands, inspecting the limb. She noticed that his body temperature was normal, if not lower than what was required to live.

She then pressed her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. The Hunter's heart maintained a slower beat than other people, most likely due to the body trying to conserve energy and heal.

"Trying to get your doctorate in human anatomy?"

Hether yelped as the Third Fleet Master pulled back the certain.

Hether snapped back to her seat and brushed off her clothing before waving her hands in a dismissive manner.

"No Ma'am!"

The Third Fleet Master chuckled, moving fully into Eclipsen's space in the medical ward.

"You know dear, that makes it sound like you are doing something worse."

She taunted, making Hether blush as red as a tomato. Hether stumbled and staggered over her words in an attempt to deny the implications while the Third Fleet Master laughed quietly at her embarrassment.

"I'm joking dear, relax."

Hether plopped back down onto her seat and took in a deep breath of relief. The older woman sent her gaze towards the unconscious Hunter, before shaking her head.

After Hether had regained her senses, she gave a questioning look to the Third Fleet Master, who replied with a kind smile.

"If I can ask, why are you here?"

Hether asked. The Third Fleet Master sent another sorrowful look towards Eclipsen before replying.

"I heard about his battle with Nergigante. Some of the crew actually watched it take place from the observation deck."

The older woman turned back to the Handler, her arms crossed like they normally were. Hether noticed the lack of her pipe.

"I came to offer help in defeating Nergigante, but we need to brief him on how to use the weapon we've prepared."

Hether gave an understanding nod. Silence reigned after that, with both women watching the Hunter closely and carefully.

Hether stood after some time, motioning to the refreshment area with her thumb.

"I'm gonna get a drink. You want something?"

The older woman waved a hand and gave an apologetic smile.

"No thanks dear, I was thinking about heading down to the gathering table anyway."

Hether nodded and moved away, watching from the corner of her eye as the Third Fleet Master departed.

-Transistion-

Eclipsen floated in a void of darkness, his vision unable to pick up anything but pitch black.

His crimson eye peered away at the darkness while his body flexed and tensed in an attempt to move.

His efforts were for naught, as two hours had passed since he woke up in the void.

He eventually allowed himself to go limp and relax, actually enjoying the feeling of weightlessness.

Then, he saw a glint of light in the distance. The figure was small, and was not shaped like anything he had seen.

It grew closer as time passed, with the figure enlarging every five seconds. When the shape became large enough, he recognized it.

The moment he had looked up while he was under Nergigante, he had known that he made a grave mistake.

The shape began to rush towards him, opening up to reveal a set of teeth that Deviljhos would be intimidated by.

He quickly began to making swimming motions in the other direction, to no avail.

He screamed into the void as the shape swallowed him and his vision went black once more.

-Transition-

Hether sat back down after retrieving a small cup of tea from the refreshment area, taking a small sip from the cup before setting it down.

She glanced at her Hunter, who was breathing heavily. His chest moved up and down quickly, and his hands were white knuckling the edge of the cot.

Hether bent down to wake him only to jump when he shot upwards like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"I HAVE SEEN TERRIBLE THINGS!"

He screamed, giving Hether her second jump for the day. Maybe third if she counted her alarm clock in the morning.

Eclipsen quickly looked about the room, his crimson eye glowing fiercely in the dim light of the medical ward.

Soon, his breathing evened and he regained his coherence. He glanced over at the Handler, who was thoroughly confused.

He signalled to the woman, asking her how long he had been asleep.

"Um, about five hours. You had some pretty deep cuts."

Eclipsen nodded. Understandable, as Nergigante had body slammed him full force with already hardened spikes.

He swung his legs over the edge of the medical cot and winced when his side sent a disagreeing shock through his abdomen.

Hether rushed to his side, gently helping him stand off the cot. After Eclipsen had gained his balance, he signed that he needed his equipment.

"They sent it to smithy to have it repaired. It had a few nasty gashes in it too."

Eclipsen grumbled as he slipped on a set of clothing Hether had given him behind the certain.

It was a simple brown cloth shirt paired with black trousers and a set of black boots.

Eclipsen grumbled at the lack of his armor, but he could live without it for now.

After getting dressed, he gave a look to Hether. After her time working with the silent Hunter, she understood the look easily.

"The Third Fleet Master wants to see you. Probably everybody else too. You came in with a good amount of wounds."

Eclipsen nodded as she helped him walk out of the medical ward, limping most of the way.

-Transition-

"How can we know that the weapon won't backfire?"

The Commander asked, his arms crossed tightly. The Third Fleet Master shrugged in response.

"We can't be sure, but we have to try. At this point, Nergigante is just getting more and more agressive, and starving it is hardly the best option."

This conversation had been taking place for nearly a half hour now, and the Commander's worry was still not alleviated.

The Commander cared for the hunters like his own grandchildren, and Eclipsen was no exception.

The Huntsman, Field Team Leader and Ayla simply stood by and watched as the Commader threw question after question into the air, with each one carrying the premise of 'what if something goes wrong?'.

They all snapped their gazes toward the steps when they heard the familiar sound of metal on wood.

Eclipsen limped slightly as he walked, and there was traces of a grimace on his face, showing that he had not fully recovered.

Ayla jogged over to her fellow Hunter, joining Hether in helping him walk. Ayla gave a worried look to Hether, who returned the same look.

The Commander gave a glare to Hether before speaking.

"I thought you were supposed to look after him. He isn't even walking right."

Hether shrugged and Eclipsen took a step to the left, sheiding her from the Commander's gaze.

"You know Eclipsen, he can't stay still!"

Ayla proclaimed as she moved back to the barrel she had sat on previously.

Hether sighed. The Commander met Eclipsen's glare with an equal one, before both men silently called it a tie.

"Either way, it's good that you're here. Obviously, your battle with Nergigante didn't end well. Thankfully, your Palico gave us valuable materials that helped the Third Fleet Develop a weapon."

The Commander stepped to the side, allowing the Third Fleet Master to withdraw a long object covered by cloth.

She pulled back the covering, revealing a long silver arrow with a black tip.

She set the arrow on the table, allowing Eclipsen to lean on the table for a closer look.

"This is what we managed to craft from the materials your Palico gave us. All of the tests we've run indicate that it completely seals an Elder Dragon's abilities. It makes Kushala Daora unable to conjure a breeze, not even when it breathes."

Eclipsen reached out to touch the arrow, but pulled back mid-motion. Something about the arrow made the Hunter's chest itch, and it grew worse when he tried to touch it.

"We know that Nergigante does not possess any abilities, so we theorized that it would simply kill it."

Eclipsen nodded. It was a sound theory, as Nergigante's ability seemed to be simple strength and battle prowess.

The entirety of the group at the table jumped when Eclipsen spoke.

"I will not fail a second time."

He said, crossing his arms and staring intently at the weapon on the table.

Ayla hopped off of the barrel she sat on, patting Eclipsen on the shoulder.

"I'm coming with you! For all we know, you haven't used a bow before."

Eclipsen set a hand on his face and sighed. She was not wrong about that. He was terrible with a bow.

Ayla gave a determined nod, looking straight at the Commander.

"Then it's settled! We'll be off as soon as Mr.Wounded over here is healed up."

Eclipsen glared at the magenta haired girl, who seemingly was in league with Hether as they began to usher him towards his room.

He hated waiting, and now he was being forced to wait and heal.

This was going to be a long few days.


	4. Chapter 4

"I still can't believe you fought Nergigante without me!"

Eclipsen felt his eye twitch as Ayla continued to rant and rave while he sat bedridden in his room.

It was fairly nice day as the sky was bright and the wind was cool when it blew in through the window.

The Hunter however, was forced to endure Ayla's temper tantrum over missing her chance at Nergigante.

Eclipsen glanced at the Coralbird that hovered around the room, feeling the draft blowing through the window.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

Eclipsen felt his knuckles pop under the sheer force he put into clenching his fist.

"I have been. For the last. Five. Hours."

He muttered, just loud enough to catch the attention of his fellow hunter.

Ayla met Eclipsen's glare equally, the only advantage the senior Hunter had over her was his glowing red eye.

"My point still stands."

"Yes, your point being that you're an inexperienced brat who thinks she is entitled to one of the highest level of monster because she befriended an elder Hunter that has faced challenges that would give you PTSD of the highest caliber."

Ayla opened her mouth to protest, but Eclipsen lifted his hand and let out a loud whistle.

The Coralbird responded to the whistle immediately, diving down and assaulting Ayla's magenta hair with an elegance of a ballet dancer.

Ayla promptly batted at her head and dashed out the door of the Private Quarters, shrieking all the way.

Eclipsen flashed a malicious grin as the Coralbird landed on his finger and ate the bird feed in a bowl sitting on the nightstand.

After the Coralbird had eaten it's fill and returned to flying about the room, the Hunter leaned over and reached under the bed mattress.

He pulled out a large slab of wood with four led stands folded under it.

He opened the large piece or wood and retrieved a wide piece of design paper and a feather pen.

He closed the slab and unfolded the leg stands, allowing the slab to sit comfortably on the bed while also giving him a surface to write on.

He laid down the paper, showing quarter-finished schematics for dual crossbows.

He smoothed the paper and began to draw in missing pieces of the diagram, adding details and functions as he went.

He had been working on the schematics for four years, even before his career as a Hunter. He was first struck with the idea when he noticed that heavy bowguns were slow and light bowguns did not pack enough punch.

So far, he had designed explosive, paralytic and shock bolts for the crossbows and planned to make even more types.

He worked away at the diagram for a long stretch of time, barely even noticing when the Coralbird had allighted on his drawing stand.

He continued drawing until he heard a knock on his door. The Hunter lowered the drawing stand, making the Coralbird take off.

Hether stood at his door, with four books in hand. Eclipsen waved his hand in a gesture to come in, and the Handler did so.

She set the books on his desk to the side of the room and wiped at her forehead.

"Whew, those books were heavy. So, how did you get Ayla to stop lecturing you?"

Eclipsen grinned and pointed at the Coralbird, who happily tweeted as a reply.

Hether giggled when the Coralbird began to fly in figure eights. Eclipsen watched the two interact before beginning to put away his drawing stand.

Hether noticed his movement and moved over to the side of the bed, carefully trying to steal a look at the schematics.

"Are you... Designing something?"

Eclipsen gave a nod before closing the drawing stand and folding up the supports.

"What is it?"

The Hunter stopped his movement, giving a wary look to Hether. She returned the gaze with one of innocent curiosity.

After a moment of pondering, he reopened the stand and withdrew the diagram.

He laid the plans out on the somewhat flat bed, showing the plans to the Handler.

She looked at the plans for a bit, taking in the information. Eclipsen watched her carefully as she leaned closer to read.

He failed to notice the twinkle in her eyes as she finished reading the plans.

She quickly grabbed the plans, lifting them off the bed and rolling them up.

She dashed for the door, with Eclipsen tossing his drawing stand on the bed and leaping off to give chase.

He was glad that he wore a shirt and pants as he ran out the door, closing it as he left.

Hether looked back at the Hunter as he sprinted after her, his eye glowing with a bit of Frenzy.

"I'm sorry! The Blacksmith needs to see this!"

All she got in response as she dashed down the stairs was a nearly inhuman growl.

She slid to a stop as she reached the workshop, lifting the diagram and shouting to the Blacksmith.

"Mr.Smith! Here, catch!"

She yelled before winding back and tossing the paper full force. The Smithy caught the paper deftly, then watched as the Handler was visciously tackled by an angered Hunter.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

She repeated as Eclipsen grabbed her by the collar and dragged her into the workshop, his eye glowing with leftover Frenzy.

He stopped at the conveyor belt, holding out his free hand and motioning for the paper.

"Now now, lemme take a look at it first."

Eclipsen's eye widened in horror as the Smithy unrolled the diagram and looked at it intently.

Hether held up her hands in surrender when the Hunter's grip on her collar tightened.

The Smithy let out a whistle as he looked at the plans.

"By the metal in me forge! This be a good one! You draw this, girly?"

Hether shook her head. The Smithy's eyes slowly crept towards the Hunter, whose eye glowed under the shadow cast on his face by nothing in particular.

"Ye be the one who made this?"

"I am."

"By the fire of the forge! This is amazin'! It be best if you kept workin' on it though."

The Smithy then rolled the paper back up and handed it back to Eclipsen, who gave a grateful nod and let go of Hether's collar.

He then stalked out of the workshop with the paper tight in his grip. The Smithy gave a look to the Handler before speaking.

"Methinks that was a bad idea, girly."

"... Really?"

"Aye. I could tell that diagram was filled with the man's heart and soul. He might never trust ye again."

Hether's mood dropped like a steel weapon lost in the ocean. She slowly moved to follow Eclipsen out of the workshop.

She jogged up the stairs to catch up with him, and stopped when his door closed.

She began to approach the Private Quarters, only for a click to resound from the door.

Hether reached up and set a hand on her face before sighing.

"I really screwed things up, didn't I?"


	5. Chapter 5

In response to 7sky's review:

Her name is indeed spelled Hether, and I'll make sure to update that. I also have to fix the one in Chapter 2. *sigh*

My plans for the arrow will be revealed soon, my friend. But you are warmer than you think. You're standing a little close to the heater, by the way.

Also, Skyrim references! I love it.

Please, do leave more reviews, as every bit of feedback makes me even more motivated to write this!

Enjoy the chapter, my friend.

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Eclipsen sighed as he slid his drawing stand back under his mattress. He still couldn't believe what the Handler had done.

He couldn't even find the motivation to get off his knees and move back onto the bed, instead simply pressing his face into the top of the mattress and remaining there.

Deep down, he feared that the Smithy would steal his design, and he would have to reveal what Hether had done.

He didn't want to do that to the energetic Handler, and the Smithy was not one to do such a thing.

Even though he knew the Smithy would never do what he feared, Eclipsen couldn't help but run over the scenario multiple times in his head.

With each run through, he felt more and more anxious. The Frenzy Virus residing in his body did not help the situation.

He lifted his face off the mattress, now resting his chin on it.

"I need to get drunk."

-Transition-

Sundancer happily pranced towards his Meowster's quarters, his tail raised high.

On his way, the Palico noticed the Serious Handler, also known as Rebecca, berating her partner for another mishap on the hunt.

Almost everyone in Astera knew the two were in a relationship, no matter how hard they tried to keep it secret.

Sundancer would never reveal that he had been the one to spread the truth around the base, for fear that he would lose his tail, or worse.

The cat continued on his way, moving up the set of stairs quickly and efficiently.

He stopped when he noticed that Hether was sitting curled next to his Meowster's door, her legs hugged tightly against her chest.

Sundancer quickly approached the woman, letting out a quiet but worried mewl.

"What on your Paws, Hether?"

He asked. Sundancer had a strange way of speaking, as he was born in a Palico settlement that had very much different dialects from normal Guild Palicos.

Hether jumped at Sundancer's meow, seemingly having been asleep. The Handler looked around for a moment before realising where she was.

"Oh, hey Sundancer. I'm okay, it's just..."

Hether paused. The Palico tilted his head to the side, his sensitive eyes noticing Hether's slightly puffy eyes.

Hether then rose from her sitting position, petting Sundancer's head before walking away quickly.

The cat watched as she moved away, letting a sorrowful sound fill his throat.

He would need to talk to her later. Maybe he could find out what happened.

He turned back to the door, giving it a twist, only for his paws to slip. That was strange, as his Meowster normally never locked his door.

The cat growled a bit and moved to the side of the Private Quarters. He swiftly and easily leaped in through the window, landing softly on the bed.

Sundancer looked around the room, finding his Meowster sitting at his desk, with a small cup in his hand and a jug of what Sundancer knew to be very strong alcohol on the floor next to the desk.

"You're back."

Eclipsen said, taking a drink of the alcohol in his cup. Sundancer settled on the bed before replying.

"Yes sir!"

Eclipsen hummed in response. A fairly different reaction other tham his usual smile and petting.

Silence reigned after that, with Sundancer watching as the Hunter downed four cups of alcohol.

"Meowster, what happened with Hether?"

Eclipsen froze, before sighing heavily. Some time passed before he received an answer.

"A wound was cut, yet no doctor is present to stitch it. Who knows when it will become infected."

Sundancer rolled his eyes. The Hunter got very poetic when he was intoxicated, and he would most likely go to bed soon.

Sundancer moved to his side of the bed, adjusted the blankets and settled down for the night.

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Sorry for the short as shit chapter, I was nearly out of creative fuel when I wrote it.

Our dear Hunter is talking more than usual... Is something changing in him?

Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

In response to NoctisTalem's review:

Hope I can give you a good one too! And don't worry, I don't plan on quitting anytime soon.

Enjoy this extra-short chapter, because work has me face down in my bed when I get home.

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Eclipsen sat quietly in his bed, a hand laid over his eye.

His reckless drinking the night before had caught up with him, and the Frenzy Virus provided no resistance to hangovers.

The Hunter glanced at the window, watching as the sunrise grew brighter by the minute.

Eclipsen groaned before falling back into a deep sleep.

-Transition-

Hether sat quietly at her usual table near the canteen, her forehead meeting surface of the table.

Beside her, a small cup of alcohol sat half-empty.

Rebecca sat at a table nearby, staring at her fellow Handler with worried eyes.

Brad, Rebecca's partner and A-Lister known for being a little too loud at times, took a seat next to Rebecca and quickly deduced the situation.

"Hey, why don't you go talk to her? Looks like she needs it."

Brad said, looking between his partner and Hether, who continued to lie face first on the table.

"I probably should, but I don't want to interfere in anything between her and Eclipsen."

Brad nodded in understanding, having been the one to get in between a couple more than once.

After a few minutes of waiting, Rebecca stood and moved to go sit with Hether.

"Good luck!"

Brad whispered to his partner, who gave him a determined nod and confident smile.

Rebecca sat down with the elegance of a feather touching the ground. Hether barely noticed her fellow Handler touch the seat until Rebecca tapped her shoulder.

Hether peeked out from under her arms, her eyes slightly bloodshot from both crying and the alcohol in her system.

"Hey. What's up?"

She said with a tired voice. Rebecca leaned onto the table, her worry nearly peaked.

"Hether, what's wrong?"

The distraught Handler sunk her head back down onto the table with a small whimper.

The two sat in silence for a bit before Hether spoke.

"I screwed things up with Pard. I really screwed it up. I don't even know how to fix it."

Hether choked, nearly letting the tears flow before stopping herself. Rebecca felt her heart give a disagreeing ache.

Seeing Hether, Astera's ray of sunshine, almost cry made Rebecca feel obligated to help. It was the least she could do, right?

Rebecca reached out and set her hand on Hether's shoulder, catching the other Handler's attention.

"Well, if me and Brad never had fights, where would we be? First, you need to talk to him. Work things out. If anybody understands, it's him."

The statement was fairly true, as Eclipsen had been the one to feed the Plunderers in the Rotten Vale after they attacked him for fresh meat.

Hether let the advice turn over in her head. She was scared to even knock on his door, so how would she talk to the Hunter?

"I know what you're thinking. You think you can't do it. You think you can't do it because you are scared to. You have to push past that fear to fix it. That's the first step."

Rebecca spoke out of experience. She remembered when Brad had accidentally done something to anger her, and she locked herself in her room.

Rebecca didn't even recall the reason they had fought that night, but it was resolved by Brad's youthful confidence. He had knocked on her door after gathering a bouquet of flowers, and promptly apologised with the grace of a Rajang on tranquilizers.

Rebecca accepted both the apology and the flowers because by then she had realised the reason they had fought was incredibly ridiculous.

"But how do I say sorry?"

Hether asked, breaking Rebecca from her memory.

"That's actually easier than you think. Get him something he would like. Knowing your partner, he would probably want something for his next hunt."

Hether nodded. Eclipsen would like something that he could use in battle. Maybe she could get him a set of potions.

"Okay. I think I can do this. I need some time though."

Hether muttered before putting her head back onto the table and passing out.

Rebecca had to stop herself from facepalming. How could she have forgotten that Hether was the heaviest drinker out of all of them?

She had probably drank more than three people's worth of alcohol. Rebecca sighed before moving back over to her table.

-Transition-

Eclipsen silently cursed his poor decision making skills as he made his way out of his bed.

He stumbled over to his desk, sitting down and opening the compartment to the side of the desk.

He pulled a small glass vial from the compartment. Inside the vial, a sparkling blue liquid swirled.

"Yay."

The Hunter said groggily before uncorking the vial and downing the liquid.

Eclipsen grimaced as the enhanced antidote made it's way into his stomach.

He always kept some super-enhanced antidotes on hand in case he got too hungover and needed to go on a hunt. It was more of nuisance that they tasted horrible.

Eclipsen set the vial back into the compartment before making his way back into bed.

"I'll talk to her later."

He mumbled face-first into his pillow.


	7. Chapter 7

Eclipsen sat on the edge of his bed, gently handling the paper in his hand.

After he had awoken from his recovery nap and his hangover had dissipated, Sundancer had returned from wherever he normally went and delivered a letter to the Hunter.

Eclipsen held the letter lightly, inspecting the wax seal emblazoned on the white paper.

The seal had the symbol of the Hunters Guild pressed into it, signalling the importance of the letter.

Eclipsen ran his thumb over the somewhat rough paper a few times, feeling the familiar material properly.

A knock on the Private Quarters door snapped the Hunter from his distraction. The Tracker, her actual name being Eliza, stood at the door, waiting patiently.

Eclipsen tossed the letter onto the nightstand and stood to open the door.

Eliza entered with a friendly smile while Eclipsen closed the door.

"Hey kiddo. How you holdin' up?"

The Hunter offered a slight shrug in response. Eliza nodded before taking the wooden chair that Eclipsen handed her.

"That's okay to feel sore after that fight with Nergigante. That's actually why I came. I wanted to ask about the Elder's Recess."

Eclipsen sat back down on the side of his bed and let out a heavy sigh. Both of them allowed the silence to stay for a bit.

After Eclipsen had remembered all he could about the Elder's Recess, he began to speak.

"The Elder's Recess is a sort of hidden ecological cache. It has been locked away from the rest of the New World for so long that all of the Bio-Energy that should have dispersed throughout the rest of the New World instead crystallized and made the nearby monsters incredibly strong."

Eclipsen paused for a moment, glancing at the Coralbird floating about the room.

"The monsters, on the other hand, were land-locked and had nowhere else to go. So they adapted to their environment by absorbing the Bio-Energy around them and becoming asexual, eliminating the need to hunt for food and find a mate."

The Tracker listened intently, finding the information incredibly interesting. She loved ecology, so this was a mind-blowing discovery to her.

"The natural progression then slammed to a halt for as long as we can guess, leaving the area stagnant and unable to change other than the roaming creatures. That changed when the fifth Elder Crossing occurred, bringing both Zorah Magdaros and Nergigante to the New World."

Eliza then put the rest of the puzzle together, finishing Eclipsen's long explanation.

"Then when Nergigante arrived in the Recess, it wrought havoc on the local ecosystem and sent the food chain spiraling in disorder. It also drove out the Elder Dragons that normally came there to live their last years in peace."

The Tracker gave a questioning look to Eclipsen, who confirmed her deduction with a nod.

Eliza leaned back into her chair with an amazed sigh while Eclipsen filled the Coralbird's feed bowl.

"Amazing. An ecosystem so perfectly in balance that it stayed stagnant for as long as it existed."

"I doubt it was stagnant forever. There may have been points in time where younger Elder Dragons stumbled upon the Recess and tried to claim territory before being driven out by older Elder Dragons."

Eclipsen stated, watching as the Coralbird tweeted happily while it pecked at the feed.

Eliza processed the information before a question popped into her head.

"Wait, where exactly did the Elder Dragons nest so that the Recess wasn't effected?"

Eclipsen shrugged as he lifted the letter back off of the nightstand.

"That's actually what I wondered when I first got there. Monsters roamed about the Elder's Recess calmly, but there no Elder Dragons around. It strikes me as strange for the namesake of the area to be absent."

Eliza nodded in agreement as the Hunter opened the letter with a small pocket knife.

The Tracker pondered the question while Eclipsen skimmed the letter in silence.

"My best guess would be that the Elder Dragons that come to the Recess find secluded places to rest. Or Nergigante's arrival drove out the local Elder Dragons, leaving the question unable to be answered."

Eclipsen hummed in agreement as he folded the letter and set it back down on the stand.

"We won't find out until Nergigante is taken down."

Eclipsen stated with an edge of venom in his voice. Eliza chuckled at the Hunter's determination.

"You have quite the fire in you, kid. I bet you'll do it, given enough time. I doubt anybody else in Astera could."

Eclipsen smiled at Eliza's words. For all they knew, that could be true.

"Well, I better head back to the Third Fleet. They get ancy when they aren't receiving new samples to study."

Eliza said, standing up and moving to leave. Eclipsen also stood, giving the Tracker a firm handshake and waving as she left.

As Eliza disappeared down the wooden stairs, Eclipsen glanced at the the letter again.

He closed the door and walked back to the nightstand, lifting the letter and re-reading the paper.

- _Dear Eclipsen_

 _After hearing about your little spat with a new type of Elder Dragon, we've decided to head over and provide a bit of backup._

 _We'll be there within four days, so be prepared for some more of the good 'ol days._

 _Sincerely, Your Old Partners_ -

Eclipsen let out what must have been the tenth sigh for the day as he brushed a hand through his silver hair.

He set the letter back down and moved over to the storage box, reaching in and looking for a specific piece of equipment.

After a bit of searching, he withdrew a peculiar weapon from the box.

It was a type of weapon Eclipsen classed as a short sword.

It was a black sword at least forty inches in length, much smaller than most swords hunters used. The point of the blade was warped into a crescent shape, with two wicked spikes protruding from the inside of the crescent.

The metal of the blade radiated with an unsettling energy, as if the creatures the sword was made from were still alive. The guard of the sword was in a strange T shape, with both sides bearing a glowing red rune.

The hilt was a ruler and a half long, and the black cloth made the grip soft to the touch. The pommel was a simple black spike that had a small chance of poking the wielder.

Eclipsen lifted the blade, confirming that it was still as balanced as he remembered it being. He turned the blade, checking the straightness of the metal.

After he was done inspecting the sword, Eclipsen leaned the weapon on the side of his bed and reached back into the storage box, retrieving the rest of his gear.

He would be damned if he was going to lie around for another day and let Nergigante rampage through the Elder's Recess in a starving rage.

Eclipsen heard footsteps behind him as he tightened the buckles on his Girros Vambraces.

He turned his head slightly, watching as Hether approached slowly with a small wrapped object in her arms.

By now, he only had his lower body armor on and his scarred chest was bare for her to see.

Eclipsen returned to equipping his armor as Hether set the wrapped object on the bed.

"I... I came to apologise."

"Apology accepted."

"...What?"

Eclipsen turned around to a very confused Hether as he adjusted the string in his Odogaron Mail.

"Apology accepted. I know that you didn't mean what you did out of malicious intent, and honestly I would've been happy to forge my weapon with you, had it been completed."

Hether's face contorted into a mixture of relief, happiness and a bit of surprise. She rushed forward and embraced her partner with the force of a charging Aptonoth.

Eclipsen stumbled a bit as Hether tackled him, but regained his balance easily.

The Handler buried her face into his armored shoulder and let out a few sobs of relief. Eclipsen did the only thing he knew how to do and patted her back reassuringly.

"T-thank you!.."

"Your welcome, but please think about the consequences before you act. We already know where that can get us."

Eclipsen said as he pushed the fact that he was blind in his left eye to the back of his mind.

Hether only began to cry harder at the mention of the Hunter's wound.

It was the result of Hether having been in the Ancient Forest when a Deviljho roamed about.

After Eclipsen had gotten Hether to safety, he had battled the Deviljho viciously, eventually disappearing into the forest in the heat of combat.

Nearly four hours later, the Hunter was carted into Astera with wounds that would have been fatal had he not been wearing armor or lacked the Frenzy Virus.

His eye was one such casualty of the battle, forcing the Hunter to switch out his Mosswine Mask for the Dragonking Eyepatch.

After another fit of sobbing, Hether broke away from the hug and wiped at her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

"I know you are, Hether. You aren't the type to do anything out of hatred or some other negative emotion."

Hether nodded gratefully as Eclipsen unwrapped the object on the bed, revealing a set of potions and antidotes.

Hether watched as the Hunter assorted the potions and set them in his satchel.

"Are you going to hunt Nergigante again?"

Hether asked, shifting her weight nervously. Eclipsen nodded with a determined look.

"I'm not going to lose a second time."

Hether nodded as Eclipsen lifted the black sword from the side of the bed and began to sharpen it.

"I've never seen that one before. Is it from the Old World?"

The Handler asked as she sat in the chair the Tracker had sat in previously.

Eclipsen nodded at the question, continuing to sharpen the weapon.

"It is one of my personal creations. Not on the level as my other one, but still effective as a weapon."

Eclipsen stated as the metal squealed in response to the whetstone grinding on it's edge.

They sat in silence after that. Only the sound of the sword's protests filled the room, for a while.

"Are you going to take Ayla with you?"

"I might. Depends."

"On what?"

"If I can aim my bow as well as I did with two eyes."


	8. Chapter 8

Hello! Just a little word before you get to reading.

I meant for this chapter to have battle music to it, but I couldn't find anything that fit with it.

So, I decided on the metal cover of Nergigante's theme by Falkkone. You can find it on Youtube if you want music for this chapter.

Enjoy!

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The Elder's Recess seemed to hold it's breath as the Hunter made his way forward, the crystal floor crunching under his Girros Greaves.

The black sword made various clanking sounds as it continuously met with the rest of Eclipsen's equipment as he moved.

A small bow was strapped to his back, along with the silver arrow that the Third Fleet had titled 'The Sealing Arrow'.

The Hunter grew increasingly nervous as he grew closer to Nergigante's nesting area, and the entirety of the Recess seemed to grow more silent as he moved.

Only the clanking of his sword and the crunching of his footsteps met the Hunter's ears.

The silence was so invasive that Eclipsen began to open and close his fist in a repeated pattern, adding a metallic clicking noise to the plethora of noises he was already making.

He grimaced as the Sealing Arrow sent another itching sensation into his chest. He had not bothered to ask the Third Fleet Master about the side effects of the Arrow, especially with the Frenzy Virus bound to his very cells.

It still worried him though. The Arrow seemingly radiated with the pure intent to disable it's target, even when it was not in contact with a bow.

He knew the feeling of a haunted weapon all too well, as his own black sword emitted the last remnants of Fatalis' hatred. He had grown used to the Black Dragon's rage, and made it his own during battle.

The Recess became completely still as Eclipsen approached the threshold of Nergigante's territory, marked by a familiar regenerating crystal deposit.

Eclipsen drew the black sword with a trained proficiency, griping the leather of the sword tightly in his right hand.

He allowed the demonic will of Fatalis seep into the back of his mind, igniting his own battle rage and activating the Frenzy Virus in his system.

The Hunter took a deep breath before stepping forward, allowing the crescent edge of the black sword to drag across the crystal encased ground.

He spotted Nergigante's black mass easily, but noted that it was moving much less tham usual. In fact, it seemed to be consuming something.

He stopped dead in his tracks and tore his binoculars from his item pouch, crouching in order to get a better view.

His crimson eye widened in horror at the sight before him.

Nergigante lay comfortably on the ground, facing away from the entrance to it's domain. In it's claws was a deceased Kushala Daora, its metal hide torn away to reveal the flesh, bone and muscle beneath.

Nergigante dipped it's head, ripping into the dead body of the Steel Dragon and consuming the meat like a beast, for lack of a better word.

"She eats fucking Elder Dragons!"

Eclipsen nearly shouted into the silent environment. The Recess seemed to answer his exclamation with the sad whistling of the wind, a symbol of the fallen Kushala Daora.

Eclipsen growled as he shoved his binoculars back into his item pouch and marched forward in a fury.

-Transition-

Nergigante happily tore away at her meal, licking her teeth with every bite.

She had been starving for months, and had quickly assaulted the old Kushala Daora when he stumbled out into the open.

The nearly ancient Elder Dragon stood little chance against her as she unleashed her starvation fueled rage on him, reducing him to a mangled corpse before dragging him back to her den.

After that, she wasted little time in prying open the old dragon's metal scales and feasting on him.

She had eaten nearly half of the old dragon when a familiar sound rang through her nest.

Nergigante's newly sharpened senses quickly detected the Hunter's approaching presence, along with a new smell that she couldn't place.

She growled angrily as she pushed away her meal and faced the Hunter, easily noticing the crimson aura cascading off of his frame.

The black sword in his hand sent a chill colder than ice down her spine and she took a step backwards at the sight of the enraged Hunter.

This was not the Hunter she had faced previously, but an entirely different entity.

It radiated a darkness that only the sun could hope to burn away, and even then the shadow would persist.

Nergigante let out a warning growl as the Hunter approached, dragging the unsettling blade across the ground as he advanced.

For the second time she had faced him, Nergigante was afraid.

-Transition-

Eclipsen took his steps carefully, now wary of the beast he was facing.

He took the black sword in both hands and lept forward, managing to cut into Nergigante's scales.

It recoiled upon connection, quickly retaliating by swinging it's claws wildly in the general direction of it's opponent.

Eclipsen quickly retreated from the range of the attack, opting to take a more evasive approach this time.

He dashed to the right side of Nergigante, lifting the black sword and putting nearly bone-shattering effort into carving into the Elder Dragon's right side.

Nergigante let out a yowl as it stumbled to the right. Eclipsen took the opening and leapt into the air, using the crescent edge of the black sword to hook onto his target's half-grown spines.

Nergigante immediately began to use the energy it had gained from its meal to flail wildly, trying to dislodge the Hunter from it's back.

Eclipsen braced as the beast raged about the area for an extended period of time, nearly trampling its meal as it moved like an infuriated bull.

As the Elder Dragon began to slow in it's movement, Eclipsen lifted the black sword and plunged the weapon into Nergigante's back.

He jammed the handle of the blade to the left, feeling the familiar click of the weapon making contact with Nergigante's spine.

The beast roared as it fell to the side, flailing in a half defensive half offensive measure.

Eclipsen quickly rushed between it's wildly swinging claws, unleashing a flurry of powerful strikes on the belly of the beast.

He started with a stroke to the right, leaving a large gash in Nergigante's scales. He followed with a downward swing, then an upward one. Thirty more strikes followed the initial attack, leaving the Elder Dragon's scales in tatters.

Eclipsen wasn't fast enough to dodge when Nergigante flew off it's side and sent a paw into his side.

He grunted as he flew through the air, unable to maneuver thanks to the pain in his already sore abdomen.

He collided with a crystal tower with enough force to shatter the structure, then slammed into the ground with a cracking that he assumed to be a rib or two.

-Transition-

Nergigante roared in triumph as she saw the Hunter hit the crystal tower. She was more eager to be rid of him than usual, mostly due to her still present hunger.

Nergigante yelped when the Hunter leaped out from behind the hill that the crystal tower had stood on and slammed his weapon into her nose.

She recoiled, quickly swiping at the place where the Hunter had been. He then reappeared next to her leg and swung his sword.

He hit her foreleg with the ferocity of a wounded animal, shattering the spikes growing there in the process.

Nergigante quickly turned her body and slammed her tail into the ground, sending small crystal shards into the air.

Before she had the time to register it, her tail was severed from her body. The disconnected limb flew into the air and landed with a thump, still spewing what little blood it had left onto the ground.

The Hunter reappeared in front of her, prepared to attack.

Nergigante quickly went into panic mode, lifting her horns and slamming them into the ground in front of her.

The Hunter managed to dodge just in time, but was unable to dodge the next swipe of her paw.

Nergigante failed to feel any joy in watching the Hunter roll across the ground. She somehow lacked her usual hatred for the Hunter.

It confused her greatly. How she could feel such a feeling of admiration for this Hunter, who had fought her so many times before.

She felt that they were equals, despite the difference in gender and species. Nergigante growled in an effort to banish the admiration from her mind.

She watched as the Hunter lifted himself from the ground a third time, his black sword glistening in the light.

-Transition-

Eclipsen fought the pain in his chest and stood. Nergigante stood silent, waiting for his next attack.

He was determined. He wouldn't fail a second time. Not to her.

He leapt forward, gripping the black sword in both hands. Nergigante responded by lunging forward with her paw raised high.

He ducked under the strike, sliding under the Elder Drgaon. He quickly used the crescent edge of his blade to stop his movement, instead using his momentum to hook onto Nergigante's foreleg and circle around her.

Nergigante recoiled when Eclipsen's boot slammed into her eye. He then used her cheek to launch into the air, allowing gravity to do it's work.

He cut a deep gash into Nergigante's other cheek, angering her.

Eclipsen then noticed his fatal mistake. Nergigante's spikes had grown and hardened, changing from a toothy white to a dark black.

She leapt backward, launching herself into the the air on the last limb she had on the ground.

Eclipsen acted quickly, as he knew that it would spell his death if he didn't.

He tossed the black blade aside, ignoring the sting of Fatalis' consciousness being ripped from his own.

He tore the bow off of his back and drew the Sealing Arrow, pulling the string back so far that the bow creaked under the weight.

Nergigante stopped on her third wing movement, having noticed the unsettling aura of the Sealing Arrow.

Eclipsen flashed a menacing grin, showing off a pair of canines that could easily be described as fangs.

"Eat this, you son of a bitch!"

The arrow let out an inhuman wail as it was thrown into the air. It moved with a coating of black wind around it, forming a spiral shape as it flew.

It pierced Nergigante's chest with a howl that was surely not it's target's. Nergigante yelped as she plummeted to the ground, shattering the spikes on her back.

She quickly rolled backward, putting herself back on her paws.

Eclipsen watched with dismay and disbelief when Nergigante got to her feet and roared.

Eclipsen glanced at the black sword, which lay a few feet away. He wouldn't be able to get to it in time.

The weapon hadn't worked.

Or at least, thats what he had thought. After finishing her roar, Nergigante fell to the ground as if it had died on the middle of the display.

Eclipsen stood speechless for a moment. The only thing he could do was stare at the body of the Elder Dragon.

Her body was unmvoving, lifeless. He couldn't even sense the Elder Dragon's presence anymore, when he normally should've easily been able to tell that an Elder Dragon corpse was in front of him.

He dropped the bow, listening while it clattered to the crystal infested floor. He took shaky steps forward, the amount of adrenaline having wrought havoc on his mental state. Along with the Frenzy Virus still actively working to enhance his physical state.

It took him a full four minutes to reach Nergigante's body, still shaking like a Palico kitten left in the rain.

He gently reached out, setting his armored claws on the Elder Dragon's snout.

It was cold. Colder than it should've been. As if the heat had been siphoned off somewhere else.

It was so cold he could feel it through his armor.

He continued to shake as he reached down and tore the Sealing Arrow from the corpse. It still made his chest itch, even through the pain he was currently enduring.

He slipped the arrow back into it's sheath, being careful not to prick himself with the arrowhead.

He moved forward, inspecting the body of the fallen Nergigante. He hadn't drawn his carving dagger, feeling that it was still somehow alive.

He dragged his clawed fingers around the scales of the corpse, feeling for any heat.

He noticed that it was slightly warmer near the stomach. He inched his fingers closer, noticing that the stomach was much hotter than the rest of the body.

It felt like something was alive inside of the corpse.

Eclipsen gagged at the thought. Something that had infested the poor Elder Dragon, eating it from the inside out.

He drew his carving dagger, gripping it in both hands. If it was a parasite, he would kill it.

He swiftly and easily plunged the dagger into the stomach of the corpse and dragged the blade to the right, opening a huge gash.

What he found almost made the experienced Hunter faint.

Inside the corpse, what could be described as a human version of Nergigante rested.

What should've been organs, blood systems and bodily liquids was instead a woman.

She slept peacefully despite her gory napping place. Eclipsen quickly discarded his thoughts and acted on instinct.

He reached into the corpse, lifting the woman out bridal-style. She was heavier than she looked, having made even the Frenzy enhanced muscles of the Hunter struggle to lift her.

He moved away from the remains, setting the woman down a few feet away.

He then moved to retrieve the black sword. Upon touching the weapon, he felt Fatalis growl at him for treating the blade poorly.

He ignored Fatalis' angered wailing and sheathed the sword.

After retrieving his bow, Eclipsen looked over to the dead Kushala Daora.

He drew his carving dagger again, deciding to not let the Kushala go to waste.

After harvesting what he could from the half eaten body, he moved on to the deflating corpse of Nergigante.

He harvested a good amount of materials, with at least eighty two percent of his item pouch being filled.

As he harvested materials from the two corpses, Eclipsen couldn't help but watch the sleeping woman from the corner of his eye.

She slept relatively peacefully, and he didn't dare wake her. For all he knew, she would gut him upon eye contact.

He was even more careful as he approached her. He gently inspected her for wounds, taking note of her strange bodily qualities while he looked for injuries.

Her body was covered in qualities that linked her to Nergigante.

She was relatively muscled, having strong arms and defined abdominal muscles. Her legs were also thick with muscle, reminding Eclipsen of a female hunter who could crush a watermelon between her own thighs.

Her arms had scales instead of skin, and her hands bore large white claws. The scales then spread down her armpits and onto her thighs, then wrapping completely around her legs at the knees. Her feet were also clawed, and bore a small extra toe at the back of her foot.

Two large wings were connected to her back on both sides of her spine. Upon opening them, they were at least forty inches wide with each wing, giving them an overall length of eighty inches.

The scales on her shoulders extended onto her cheeks and stopped there. Two horns sprouted from her scalp, and her keratin white hair hid a few spines that were easily spotted due to the black tips.

Her teeth were mostly normal, excluding the fang like canines she possessed. Eclipsen also bore similar fangs, mostly due to the Frenzy Virus that clung to his DNA.

Her rear bore a long tail identical to the one Eclipsen had just harvested, and was growing spikes as he inspected it.

Her stomach, inner thighs, privates and breasts were lacking the black scales, instead having normal human skin.

Eclipsen couldn't help but notice that she was well endowed with breasts just below a D cup.

Eclipsen ignored the exposed parts of the woman as he finished his examination.

She had no wounds on her, and she seemed completely healthy, if not a little malnourished.

The Hunter slipped his hands under her the woman and lifted her from the ground, grunting at the weight he was holding.

She was surprisingly heavy, given how slim she was. Though her muscled had already given Eclipsen a clue as to where the weight came from.

He adjusted the woman in his arms and began his trek back to the camp.


	9. Chapter 9

Why was she so heavy?

That was the only thought in Eclipsen's mind as he made his way back to camp.

It was only a few minutes into the walk that the Frenzy Virus wore off, forcing the Hunter to walk at a much slower pace in order to not drop the woman he was carrying.

It also made his back ache as if a kelbi had kicked him. The rest of the trip was filled mostly by Eclipsen's grumbling and readjusting the woman in his arms.

He eventually settled for slinging her over his shoulder. Chivalry be damned when a woman weighed two hundred pounds.

In the meantime, Eclipsen watched as the Recess became much more lively. Small colored birds that ate the Bio-Energy crystals began to fly about, and the larger monsters began to retake their territory.

Eclipsen gave a sigh when he saw the entrance of the camp.

It was going to be a hassle to explain what the Sealing Arrow did. On top of that, he would have to convince the Comission to not preform any invasive experiments until the woman was conscious and consenting.

He walked into the camp slowly, as to not startle the Handler too much.

Hether looked up from her book before closing it and rushing over to check on the Hunter. This was the normal routine for most hunts.

"How did it go?"

It took Hether a second to recognize the indifference in Eclipsen's eyes, along with the woman slung over his shoulder.

And the tail that was protruding out of said woman's rear.

"What the hell!?"

-Transition-

"I honestly don't know what I'm more worried about. The fact that you brought back a humanized Elder Dragon, or the fact that you did it with five broken ribs."

Eclipsen would've shrunk under the gaze Hether was throwing at him, but he was just too tired to care.

After the medical team had arrived and examined the woman against his wishes, he was checked for any wounds.

Of those he had plenty.

He had five broken ribs, a bruised tailbone, a cracked forearm, and a slight concussion.

So here he lay in a medical cot being transported back to Astera via cart Palicos.

Hether walked beside the cot as it moved, her glare still directed towards the Hunter.

Eclipsen couldn't provide any information as to why the Arrow had done what it did, forcing both Hether and him in between a rock and hard place.

They would either have to make up a story on how the Arrow had transformed Nergigante, or let the Commission run invasive tests on the woman.

"I still can't wrap my head around it. Why would the Arrow do something like that?"

"Probably because Nergigante didn't have any abilities besides pure strength and endurance. It had nothing to target, so the Arrow... No, that doesn't work either."

Eclipsen was also stumped on the question. The Sealing Arrow was supposed to sap an Elder Dragon's power, not transform one into a human. Well, as human as it could get.

The woman was also being transported in a medical cot, but she was farther back on the path than they were.

"Lets just stick with the theory that Nergigante had no powers to drain. It's a foundation at least."

Hether said, turning her eyes back to the path. Eclipsen gave an agreeing nod as he rested his head back into the cot.

It wasn't long before the Hunter fell asleep to the sounds of nature and Hether's footsteps.

-Transition-

"So why exactly are you putting her in my room?"

Eclipsen asked as his eyes darted between the humanized Elder Dragon - who was also sharing his bed - and the Commander.

The Commander crossed his arms as he watched the Hunter gently push the woman's spiked wing away from his aode of the bed.

"Because we don't have a place to keep her that is both safe and well guarded. Not at the moment anyways."

"So you decided to have her share a room with me, despite my current difficulty in defending myself?"

The Commander put on a smug grin and chuckled at Eclipsen's annoyed stare.

"That is the plan, yes."

"I hate you. So much."

The Commander proceeded to break put in a deep laughter and walk out of the Private Quarters, laughing all the way.

Eclipsen felt his eye twitch as the woman's wing extended again, smacking him in the face with a thankfully spineless section of her scales.

He shoved the wing away and moved to get out of the bed, but was dissuaded by the burning pain in his chest.

Having no other choice but to grit his teeth and bear it, Eclipsen laid back into his bed, carefully this time.

He stared up into the ceiling for a bit, trying to find a thought to focus on.

He went over the events of the prior meeting again, just to remind himself.

It had went well, all things considered. Both the Third Fleet Master and the Commander accepted Eclipsen's request to refrain from any testing, part of which was backed by the threat of the woman waking in the middle of a test and slaughtering any researchers involved.

But at the same time, they dumped the responsibility of taking care of the woman on Eclipsen and Hether, who then retreated to the canteen.

The woman remained sleeping through the entirety of the meeting, despite the small crowd that had gathered to see the results of the council.

The Sealing Arrow was taken away for further testing and research along with the remains of Nergigante's original body. They gave the rest of the materials to the Hunter to craft new equipment.

The only test that was run was to confirm if the woman was truly asleep and not in a coma or something similar. The doctors confirmed that she was in a deep sleep, and would eventually wake up.

So here he was, laying next to a human Elder Dragon that ate other Elder Dragons.

He sighed as he lifted his left arm, deflecting the black wing that had been assaulting him for nearly half an hour now.

The woman snored like a wild animal, preventing any notion of sleep on Eclipsen's part. He sat up on the bed carefully, as to not disturb the woman or his bruised tailbone.

It was dark outside and the moon shone brilliantly through the window of the Private Quarters.

The Elegant Coralbird slept quietly in it's nest, only ruffling it's feathers to right it's position.

The woman slept peacefully on top of the blankets of the bed, her wings opening and closing continuously.

Her tail hung off the edge of the bed and her arms were what could only be described as strangling the pillow on her side of the bed.

Despite the wing assaulting him, Eclipsen found the atmosphere quite peaceful.

He glanced at the clock on the wall, watching as the time ticked by.

It was only eleven thirty one at night.


	10. Chapter 10

In response to 7sky's review

I honestly love how you described Eclipsen as little. Made me laugh for a bit.

But yes, things will be very erratic from now on. Kind of reflective of how an Elder Dragon usually brings chaos when it passes through.

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Eclipsen woke to the sound of a heavy thud on wood and groaning.

He quickly righted himself on the bed and scanned the room. He found the source of the sound easily.

The woman had rolled off the side of the bed and hit the floor.

He began to laugh at the sight, until the woman began to move. He froze as she slowly began to lift herself from the ground, her wings spreading out as she stretched.

She faced away from Eclipsen, giving him the chance to slowly get up from his bed and move over to the Item Box.

-Transition-

Nergigante groaned as she was woken from her dreamless sleep. Her body ached slightly after so long without movement.

She sent the commands to move to her limbs, but found that her body did not feel familiar anymore.

Her back legs were replaced with longer, thinner ones that felt different from her front ones.

Her new arms felt more flexible, but they felt weaker and less weighty.

She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the light of the unfamiliar room she was in.

She didn't care for surroundings at the moment, as she was more focused on her alien body.

She lifted herself from the floor, feeling her wings and tail, which were thankfully still there.

She remained on all fours, observing as her strange paw-like appendages scratched into the wooden floor on her command.

She tested her legs carefully, leaning back into a sitting position. She investigated her legs slowly, watching as the much smaller appendages on her feet wiggled about.

She moved her tongue around her mouth, feeling the now smooth and varied teeth that replaced her normal fangs.

Her mouth itself was also smaller, giving her less room to move her tongue around.

She lifted her strange paw and touched her face, feeling a now flat and soft surface. Her nose was now no longer part of her head, but an apendage on her face.

She combed her clawed hand through her new hair, feeling a familiar spike meet her fingers.

Her horns were still present, but they were much thinner in the middle and had sharper points that previously.

She stretched out her left wing and pulled it close. It was much smaller than before, but they were still large. The scales and spikes also remained.

She slowly began to stand, using her hands to support her wobbling knees. She stumbled a few times, but eventually managed to straighten herself.

She then began to focus on her surroundings.

She sniffed at the air, recognizing the smells of human civilization. Paper, dead wood, cloth and other smells filled her nose, which was just as effective as it was before her transformation.

She surveyed the room with her eyes, finding them just as keen as before. She saw strange wooden objects that stood off the wooden floor and weirdly clear solids that peered into a watery environment.

Paper rested on the wooden object, as well as a few objects that she did not recognize.

She froze as a creaking sound met her ears, which she had forgotten to check as well.

She turned around slowly, being careful with her newly weakened body.

Then her eyes met a familiar figure.

-Transition-

Eclipsen watched as the woman stood like a newly born kelbi, her knees wobbling and her body shaking.

He quickly and quietly reached over to the wall, gripping the hilt of the black sword.

Fatalis' consciousness assaulted his mind, but was easily repelled thanks to years of training and practice.

Eclipsen froze as his foot touched a squeaky floorboard, emitting a sound that he knew the woman heard as well.

He gripped the black sword in both hands, preparing to defend himself.

-Transition-

Nergigante felt her mind leap in anger and fear as she locked eyes with the Hunter. She gave a warning hiss.

She didn't normally hiss, as it always bothered her throat, but this time her voicebox didn't give any protests.

-Transition-

Eclipsen watched as the woman hissed like a snake. He would've laughed if had been anybody else, but he knew what he was facing down.

He studied her features closely, trying to ignore her bust that moved amply despite the bindings that the Commission had dressed her in.

Her muscles twitched and shook slightly as she moved. He could tell that she wanted to find a way out of the room, but she was trapped in here with him.

Eclipsen locked eyes woth her, noticing that she was also observing him.

-Transition-

Nergigante looked over the Hunter carefully, watching for any indication of weakness.

She found it strange that he was missing his armor, letting her see what was beneath it.

She noticed the bindings on his left forearm, and how he was reluctant to grip the black weapon with it.

She then moved her eyes to the rest of him.

His chest was bare and his midsection was wrapped in more bindings. The white bindings were stained with tiny amounts of red, as small as a Nulberry.

She couldn't help but notice how muscular he was. His chest looked as though it could deflect one of the steel sticks that other hunters used and his arms were thicker than her own.

Her eyes snapped back to his when she realised that she was staring.

She felt a heat crawl into her cheeks, something that had not happened before she changed.

-Transition-

Eclipsen watched as the woman's eyes moved quickly back to meet his gaze.

They both noticed the emotions behind their irises and both of them sensed fear in the other.

Eclipsen watched as the woman flexed her claws and lowered into what he thought was a fighting stance.

His muscles prepared to leap over the bed and swing the sword, but he hesitated. The woman lowered further, eventually sitting down on the wooden floor.

Her wings folded onto her back and her swinging tail stilled. After she was done moving, she sat completely still on the floor, watching Eclipsen like an eagle.

Eclipsen maintained his fighting stance for a few moments, still locked in a staring contest with the humanized Elder Dragon.

He eventually let the black sword lower, but still held tightly onto it's handle.

He moved slowly, but firmly, trying to give off an air of superiority. The woman did not react as he moved over to the large Item Box.

He set the black sword down slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements.

-Transition-

Nergigante watched as the Hunter set down the weapon that he held. She felt some of her panic disappear when he let go of it.

She had put herself in a subjugation display, something that she thought she would never have to do.

Subjugation positions were normally for weaker monsters and it hurt her pride to have to perform one to a human.

She watched carefully as the Hunter lifted a cloth covering from the large box next to the wall and put it on, hiding his chest.

He then moved over towards the other wall of the room, lifting a wooden object from the corner and setting it not far from herself.

He sat down in the object and met her gaze with his own.

His red eye unsettled her.

All she could see behind it was the vaguest of emotions, and even then she couldn't predict his movements.

"Can you speak?"

The question made Nergigante jump, but she made sure not to make any offensive movements.

She somehow understood his words when previously she could not. The human tongue was strange to her but somehow she got the meaning behind it.

She felt her head move from side to side, giving the Hunter his answer.

-Transition-

Eclipsen felt a bit of surprise as the woman gave a shake of the head in response to his question.

He lifted his hand and whistled, making the woman cringe and cover her ears.

Eclipsen lifted his hands in a submissive gesture when she growled at his actions.

The window of the room then opened and Sundancer bounded through it.

"What is it Meowster? Did you need some-"

Sundancer then proceeded to shriek in fear at the sight of the conscious Elder Dragon, who responded with a hiss of her own.

Sundancer swiftly leapt back out of the window, meowing as he left.

"I'll go get Hether!"

Eclipsen facepalmed as the Palico retreated in a rush. As he dragged his hand down his face, he glanced at the woman again.

Her yellow reptilian eyes looked about the room curiously, no longer focusing on him.

He allowed his eye to drift to the floor, no longer paying attention to the Elder Dragon.

They sat in silence for a while, with only the sounds of the waterwheel outside filling their ears.

He was dragged out of the moment by a quiet tweeting.

He gazed upward, watching as the Elegant Coralbird alighted on the woman's horn.

She shook her head slightly, making the Coralbird lift off her horn, only to set down on the other one.

Eclipsen chuckled as he watched the woman struggle to shoo away the bird, failing to notice Hether at the door with a handfull of food.

She tapped at the door quietly, catching Eclipsen's attention.

The woman was drawn from her dispute with the Coralbird when she heard the sound of the door opening.

She watched as a woman dressed in yellow walked in, carrying a silver object that held steaming meats on it.

Her stomach gave an angry growl as she laid her eyes on the food.

Hether and Eclipsen gave surprised glances at the loud grumbling of the Elder Dragon's stomach.

Eclipsen looked over at Hether and grinned.

"Looks like you have competition."


	11. Chapter 11

Runningstar bloodrage: I'm glad you think she's cute. I tried to make her at least a little attractive in thought.

The Constitutionalist: I'm happy you find it interesting, as I do try hard to make it so. I will be updating a little more sparingly, but I'm not abandoning this until it's done!

Runningstar bloodrage: Don't mind him. He was from one of my other stories that went through a bit of controversy. Rest assured, he is not welcome here and his reviews will be deleted if he shows up again.

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Nergigante sniffed at the food curiously as the woman and the Hunter spoke in another part of the room.

The meat didn't give off the familiar smell of Bio-Energy that Nergigante preferred, but it seemed to be just as tasty.

The meat was warm, but not like the warm meat of Elder Dragons. It was a warmth that wasn't natural, but achieved through an outside factor.

Nergigante felt her stomach growl again, drawing the attention of the two humans in the room.

The woman in yellow, who Nergigante easily identified as Hether, gave a smile before returning to the communication she was having with the Hunter.

The Elded Dragon gave another suspicious look to the meat. She shrugged and lifted the meat from the metal object it rested on.

She sniffed it again before sinking her teeth into the large piece. She tore off a part of said piece and began to chew.

Before her change, Nergigante rarely chewed her food. Her mouth used to be big enough to simply swallow big chunks of food, but now her mouth was small and cramped.

That didn't stop her from nearly melting at the taste of the meat. It tasted different from Elder Dragon meat, but it was better in that respect.

Elder Dragon meat was normally tough but tasty, but this meat was soft and easy to chew. With each bite the meat seemed to get even tastier, making Nergigante eager to eat the rest of it.

There were four large slices of meat on the metal object, and Nergigante had only tasted the first one.

She eagerly began to consume the rest of the meat, paying no heed to what the Hunter and Hether were speaking about.

-Transition-

Eclipsen watched from the corner of his eye as the humanized Elder Dragon discovered the miracles of cooked food.

Hether giggled at the scene before her. The woman seemed like a child enjoying their favorite meal, if that child was a ferocious Elder Dragon.

Eclipsen allowed himself a smile, finding that the scene before him was without a doubt one of the most precious things he had seen, besides Sundancer playing with his toys when he was but a kitten.

A sudden jolt a pain ripped it's way through his sternum, breaking Eclipsen away from the warm feeling in his chest. He grimaced at the sensation, placing a hand on his collar in response to the sudden electrical feeling.

Hether have a worried look before her gaze shifted to one of slight anger. She placed her hands on her hips in a haughty manner, her eyes almost burning with fire.

"You're supposed to be in bed!"

She said, her voice a little louder than a regular speaking volume. It made Eclipsen jump nonetheless, forcing him to meet her gaze. She seemed to glow with anger from the corner of Eclipsen's eye, and her staring was almost burning a hole into him.

Eclipsen sighed, deciding that it was pointless to fight against the Handler. She could be more terrifying than most monsters he had faced when she was enraged. He walked slowly over to the bed and sat down on the side, rolling his shoulder in order to dispel the remnants of pain from his chest.

Hether maintained eye contact with the Hunter, making sure that he did as he was bidden. She watched as he leaned back into the bed, ignoring the blush that was creeping into her cheeks.

Nergigante continued to eat to the side of the room, half of her plate having been cleaned off. Her spines began to vibrate in content, producing an unsettling shaking sound not unlike a rattlesnake.

The sound managed to draw Hether's attention, distracting her from staring a whole into the Hunter. She glanced between the two, before walking quietly over to Nergigante. Hether bent down quietly, whispering something into the humanized Elder Dragon's ear.

Nergigante perked up at the words being spoken into her ear. She listened intently, her ear swiveling a bit in order to fully allow the sound into her head. Eclipsen watched from the corner of his eye, not bothering to listen as Hether had long since learned to whisper quieter than normal in order for him not to hear.

The Handler backed away from Nergigante with a smile plastered onto her face. She strode over to the door and set her hand on the doorknob, giving a sickeningly sweet smile to Eclipsen.

"You two get along now!"

She said with a mischeviousness that was impossible to hide and a hint of a chuckle. Eclipsen raised a silver eyebrow, already very curious as to what she had said to Nergigante. Hether opened the door and left with a suspicious bounce in her step, leaving the Elder Dragon alone with the Hunter.

Nergigante began to eat the last of her meal, visibly ignoring Eclipsen. The Hunter simply sunk into his bed, threading his arm behind his pillow for some neck support.

His body was still sore, with the broken ribs amounting to the greatest of the pain. His cracked forearm was a simple dull sting, and it was like a lightning strike if he accidently bumped something with it.

He closed his eye in preparation to sleep. He had missed a good amount of rest the previous night thanks to Nergigante's thunderous snoring.

He laid in silence for a few minutes, listening to the muffled sound of the water wheel outside of the Private Quarters. Eventually it began to fade out, with the feeling of sleep invading his mind and quieting the sounds around him.

-Transition-

Nergigante ate away at her meal, holding herself back a little bit to make it last.

The human named Hether had requested that she watch the Hunter closely.

The gall of that human, to request something from a being such as her. Nergigante bit down on the meat a little harder, easily cleaving it in half. She had to admit that she respected the courage of the Handler, but it didn't make her request any less repulsive.

Nergigante cursed her luck. To be shifted into a human form and forced to watch over her captor. Her claws dug into the wood of the floor as she tried to contain her rage. She knew full well that the entirety of the human settlement would be upon her if she were to begin a rampage, and her new shape made it so that she could not properly defend herself.

Nergigante growled a little, finishing off the last slice of meat on the silver plate. She would get revenge eventually, but now she had to do it with a weak and useless body. Nergigante glanced at the Hunter, who lay on the bed.

She quietly lifted herself into a crouch, crawling onto the bed as quietly and lightly as she could. She looked at Eclipsen from above, once again inspecting his body.

His chest moved in a soft rhythm, with each muscle visibly doing its part to expand and contract with the Hunter's breath. His right arm was tucked under the soft piece of fabric that his head lay on, and his left arm rested on his stomach. His legs were covered by a thin blanket that didn't look to provide any warmth or heat.

Her eyes locked onto Eclipsen's eyepatch. It was made of some kind of leather that was obviously stronger than normal leather. The strap that kept the piece on the Hunter's face was buried in his silver hair and seemed to be fairly thin for such a weak material as leather. The main piece of the eyepatch was embroidered with the same symbol the rest of the Human settlement bore.

The Elder Dragon had always wondered what was behind the eyepatch. A damaged eye perhaps? Or maybe he was simply born with a blind eye, or wore it for the looks? The curiosity was eating away at Nergigante. She unconsciously reached forward, her deadly sharp claws pinching the leather of the eyepatch and gently pulling.

The leather stretched as the main piece moved away from Eclipsen's eye and then moved back into place as Nergigante slid the patch onto his forehead.

The sight was ugly, even to her.

The Hunter's eye had a long jagged scar down the middle, and the flesh around the socket had even more tiny slash marks. The lid looked to have been re-attached from peices and allowed to heal naturally, giving it multiple strips of lifted scar tissue. The long jagged scar stretched only a quarter of an inch onto Eclipsen's face, but it was still noticeable. It also extended a fair amount onto his cheek, but was little more than pale scar tissue.

"Are you done looking? It's somewhat embarrassing."

Nergigante jumped at the voice, accidently catching some of the blanket on her claws and flailing it around to dislodge the meterial. A chuckle emanated from the Hunter, who Nergigante had assumed was asleep.

Eclipsen cracked his eye open, staring at the humanized Elder Dragon as she pulled the blanket from her claws.

He watched her for a few seconds before closing his eye again.

"You can look at it all you want, but just don't touch it. I missed a good amount of sleep last night, so you're free to join me."

He said before shifting his head to the right and relaxing. Nergigante huffed.

Today would be a long one.


	12. Chapter 12

Eclipsen woke groggily, his eyepatch still missing from his eye judging from the lack of pressure. The light in the room was significantly dimmer, being a stark contrast to the bright light of the mid-day sun. He opened his eye carefully, allowing the blurriness to fade from the center of his vision.

He glanced about, noticing that the room was oddly undamaged. He was sure that Nergigante would have tried to escape or at least destroy something in the Private Quarters. Instead, the tree that grew through the window swayed gently and dim orange light streamed through it's leaves.

Then he felt movement to his left. Five sharp points brushed against his arm, avoiding his cracked forearm by a hair. Something clung to his shoulder, applying more than enough pressure to cut off the circulation in his arm.

Eclipsen turned his head, beholding a sight he thought he would never see.

The humanized Elder Dragon was snuggled against him, her arms wrapped tightly around his own. Her breasts pressed against both of their arms, making Eclipsen blush slightly. Her tail still hung off the end of the bed, the white spines that had grown now hardened and black. Her face was buried into the edge of his pillow and her hair flowed over her left eye, concealing it from view. Her breathing was gentle and calm, almost as though she was waiting for something.

The Hunter instantly felt the need to run. From both the Elder Dragon beside him and the situation he was in. The warmth of Nergigante's body felt nice against his skin, but it also drew an uncomfortable warmth from his own body. His clothes began to feel cramped and chaffy, giving him even more encouragement to move away from the draconic beauty.

He slowly slid off the thin blankets covering him, allowing them to take the role of a makeshift barrier between the two occupants of the bed. Eclipsen edged his leg over the side of the bed, managing to inch his body halfway off.

He stopped when he heard a low growl.

He looked over at his snuggling partner, watching as the Elder Dragon roused from her sleep. Nergigante rose from the sheets like Zorah Magdaros broke from the waves of the ocean, her now blackened spines rattling dangerously. Eclipsen was quick to dislodge himself from the bed and stand fully, his eye trained on Nergigante.

The draconic woman took the time to stretch, her wings fanning out in all of their glory and lifting her arms into the air. The Hunter watched as the Elder Dragon's assets bounced free from the meager bindings the Comission had dressed her in.

-Transition-

Nergigante relaxed, folding her wings back inward and letting her arms fall back to the bed. Her tail felt stiff, as if it had been at an awkward angle for a long stretch of time.

She looked upward, catching the gaze of the Hunter. She instantly noticed something wrong, as his posture was stiff and unmoving while his face was peppered with a rosy color.

"We need to find you some decent clothes."

He said shakily, visibly making an effort to correct his body language and dispel the blush on his cheeks.

-Transition-

Eclipsen sighed inwardly, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in his legs. He walked over to the Item Box, leaning down in order to inspect the contents.

He didn't have much in the way of clothing beyond a few shirts and many, many sets of armor. By far his favorite of the armor sets he had collected was the Fatalis blademaster set, but he knew the risks of wearing it for too long.

Upon finding something close to acceptable, he dipped his hand into the box and withdrew a set of pants and a shirt, with an added bra and underwear that he had no clue as to where they came from. He turned on his heel, finding Nergigante once more sprawled out on the bed, her many spikes catching in the sheets and blanket.

He stepped forward, tapping the edge of the bed with his foot to grab the Elder Dragon's attention. She looked over with a piercing stare, her eyes still slightly sunken from the oversleeping she had done.

"Get up. I want to see if these fit you."

-Transition-

Nergigante stared at the clothing in the Hunter's hands with disdain, but did as she was bidden. Her claws scraped on the wooden floor as she lifted herself from the comfortable sleeping place, once again stretching out her wings.

She stood still as the Hunter approached, finding his gaze to be locked on her eyes and not on the rest of her now human form. She was secretly thankful, for she was no less nude than she had always been. But the thought having the Hunter look upon her new mammary glands and her reproductive organs was unsettling to her.

The Hunter circled around to her back before gently taking hold of one of her wings. She instinctively let out a growl, prompting the Hunter to let go of the appendage. Instead he pressed the clothing to her back, seemingly making measurements of her body before stepping away and walking over to the wooden desk to the side of the room.

He leaned down, opening a small compartment and withdrawing a set of iron blades that closed and opened upon his command. He cut two holes into the upper clothing before cutting a single hole in the back of the lower clothing.

He walked over once more, presenting the clothing to her. She stared at them wearily, easily smelling the human scent that clung to the material.

"Put these on. If they fit we can go out and find you something that you prefer."

He said, his eye locked with her own. Nergigante glared at the clothing, but nonetheless took them from the Hunters hands. He stepped back as she dropped the lower clothing and lifted the upper above her head. It somehow slipped on with ease, avoiding her horns and allowing her wings to spread out through the hole that the Hunter had cut into them.

The Hunter watched with what Nergigante could only guess was interest, as she loathed to think that it was some other emotion behind those eyes. She felt anger boil inside her chest upon realising that he could have been watching with lust, but kept her composure and moved the shirt the rest of the way on.

She leaned down in order to put the pants on next, allowing her tail to move high into the air. She gripped the edge of the cloth between her claws as she put her foot into one of the holes, glancing up at the Hunter for an example of how she was supposed to wear the clothing.

Her foot claws got caught on the cloth a few times, but she managed to put the pants most of the way on. Her tail was another matter, as the large spines on the appendage prevented it from going through the hole that the Hunter had cut.

"Here, let me help."

He said as he stepped forward. Nergigante gave a warning growl, which he seemed to brush off with little worry for his own safety.

"I don't feel comfortable with it either, but you have to let me help you."

She growled once more before letting out what would've been a sigh in her previous form, which to the Hunter was an extravagant huff. He took this as confirmation, steeping forward and putting a hand on her tail.

She recoiled upon contact, her back straightening like a board and her wings fanning out in surprise. The Hunter deftly dodged the closest wing and continued to work his strange ways, moving the cloth of the pants outward and somehow slipping her tail into the hole.

Nergigante relaxed when the Hunter let go, finding that the feeling of the clothing around her body felt somewhat snuggly and warm. The Hunter stepped back, observing as she shook herself of the aftershocks of his touch.

-Transition-

Eclipsen watched as Nergigante shook herself furiously, the spines on her wings and tail fanning out and rattling before setting back into place.

"Is it uncomfortable?"

He asked, his eye trying hard not to focus on the large mound of cloth that was accommodating her breasts. The Elder Dragon's yellow eyes locked onto his before she shook her head. Eclipsen nodded before taking in her full appearance with the clothes clinging to her frame.

The clothes fit adequately, not being too tight nor too big. She couldn't fit the bra and underwear due to her tail and wings, but that hardly mattered. The shirt hung loosely on her upper body, concealing her stomach nicely and hiding her scale covered waist. The pants reached her ankles and the hole that fit her tail was a little small, but it fit well.

Eclipsen nodded before approaching her once more. The Elder Dragon blushed as he took a step forward, inching backwards while letting out a huff. He then realised the magnitude of his actions.

He was quick to press a hand on his face to hide his own blush, now remembering exactly what he had seen. He could hear Nergigante growling softly a few feet away, her toe claws digging into the wooden floor.

He sighed.

"Let's just go get you introduced to the commission."


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the wait, everybody! I've been having trouble writing anything at all lately even though I want to.

Runningstar bloodrage: I'm glad you like them!

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The Commander's eyes shifted cautiously between his top Hunter and the now human Elder Dragon.

Both of them stood awkwardly, with Eclipsen dressed mostly in his armor, but missing his gauntlets while Nergigante was covered by a simple black shirt and brown pants. Her expression radiated both hatred and nervousness, seemingly uncomfortable in the Commander's presence.

"So, why are you here?"

The Commander asked, his arms crossed tightly. Eclipsen stepped forward, circling around the table and leaning into the Commander's ear. The older man leaned to the side, listening intently to hear what the Hunter said.

-Transition-

Nergigante waited patiently as the Hunter exchanged words with the older man, who the Hunter had informed her was his superior, in a way. It baffled her that such a strong Hunter would even answer to a human so old and decrepit, until the Commander's eyes met her own.

Nergigante stiffened when the Commander's gaze was centered back onto her. His eyes were like flaming coals that had been covered in Teostra power, and they bore their way straight into her soul. She had to resist the urge to squirm under his stare, making an effort to keep her spines from rattling as a warning.

Then the Commander shifted his look once more, just as abruptly as he had directed it at her. Nergigante could feel her muscles relax in relief when the Commander turned his attention towards the Hunter, whom she had new respect for enduring the old human's glare.

-Transition-

"So, you want to take her on your next assignment?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's risky at best, but it would also allow us to gauge her loyalty to you, and in turn the Commission. Hmm."

The Commander said, placing a hand on his chin in thought. He glanced over at the Elder Dragon, who instantly stiffened upon making eye contact. Eclipsen smirked at the mannerisms the woman displayed, finding them somewhere between cute and endearing.

"Sir, I know it's risky, but from what I've seen so far she's lost quite a bit of the aggressiveness we saw before the change. There could be more things that the Arrow robbed her of."

The Commander looked back at Eclipsen as he leaned against the gathering table, the rising moon shining it's light down upon Astera as he did so. Nergigante looked up into the sky and her reptilian pupils widened into dinner plates, seemingly entranced with the moonlight.

The Commander looked over at the Elder Dragon with interest, trying to see what the Hunter saw in the woman. Indeed, he thought she was somewhat attractive, but the horns, tail and wings simply put him off and tricked his mind into thinking that she was a full blown monster. But seeing her act so calmly was reassurance that Eclipsen had a point.

"I'll contact the Third Fleet. Maybe we can figure out what exactly was taken from her when she transformed."

The Commander said as he watched the Field Team leader slip a chair behind Nergigante and promptly sit her down so she didn't tip over while standing.

Eclipsen gave a look of betrayal, as he had been promised that there would be no invasive testing until Nergigante could consent to them. The Commander responded with a gentle smile.

"Don't worry, no invasive testing yet. Anyway, why don't you go show her around Astera? After that, I'll gladly consider your idea."

-Transition-

Eclipsen sighed as he made his way up the stairs of the canteen, with Nergigante following closely behind.

He knew that the Commander wouldn't go back on his word, but the researchers of the Third Fleet were fairly known for bypassing certain rules in the name of science or research. Of course the Third Fleet Master had her own quirks, so she would most likely find her own way to investigate Nergigante.

It only took a minute and a half to reach the canteen, with Hether sitting in her usual spot. She quickly noticed the Hunter approach, and waved him over.

"Hey, over here! I got us some food!"

Nergigante shifted on her feet, which didn't go unoticed by Eclipsen. He gently tapped her arm, making the Elder Dragon jump slightly. He gestured to the table with his hand, singnalling for her to sit down. Hether brightened a little when she noticed that Nergigante was with them, and sent a little wave in her direction.

Nergigante sat down next to Hether, still visibly nervous. The Handler set a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you!"

Upon hearing the words leave Hether's mouth, Eclipsen snorted in amusement. She sent a glare towards the Hunter, who disguised his laugh as clearing his throat and leaning on the table nonchalantly. Nergigante's nervous expression was replaced with confusion at the situation, her reptilian eyes glancing between the two partners.

After tearing her glare away from her partner, Hether slid the large plate of food in front of her over to the side. Nergigante was instantly aware of the meat, eyeing like a Felyne would watch a toy move back and forth. Hether giggled a bit at the Elder Dragon's reaction, which drew her attention.

Strangely, Hether noticed that Nergigante had some understanding of manners. Even going so far as to ask for permission to eat in her own way. Hether drew the plate towards the Elder Dragon, adding an encouraging smile and nod of the head.

Once Hether had answered Nergigante's silent question, she turned in her seat to face Eclipsen, who was still leaning against the table and watching the other woman eat with morbid interest. Hether rolled her eyes before reaching forward and tapping the surface of the table, drawing Eclipsen out of his stupor.

The Hunter shook his head before pushing off the table.

"I'm going to head to the Smithy. I need a few things upgraded. Can you keep an eye on her?"

He asked, gesturing towards Nergigante with his thumb. Hether nodded confidently, a wide smile still present on her face.

"Yep! You can count on me!"

Eclipsen nodded, taking a step towards the stairs before stopping and backtracking slightly.

"Also, keep Brad from pissing her off. I have a sneaking suspicion that she won't like him."

He said before walking off in the direction of the Workshop. Hether raised an eyebrow at the statement before remembering the siege on Zorah Magdaros in the canyon as well as when Nergigante had sent Brad flying into a wall.

Hether shook her head. That excitable A-Lister was always either getting himself into trouble, or causing it.

-Transition-

Eclipsen briskly walked into the Workshop, ignoring the heat of the forge on his arms. He felt nearly naked without his gauntlets, but he was forced to leave them behind due to his cracked forearm.

The Head Blacksmith looked up from the conveyor belt, wiping some sweat from his brow as he did so. He smiled widely at the sight of the Hunter and offered a small wave to greet him. Eclipsen smiled warmly in response, stepping up to the conveyor belt.

"Oi, Fiver! How do ya be on this day?"

"It has been interesting. Got any new requests?"

"A few, but none are too special. Anyway, what do ya want today?"

"I need a new pair of gauntlets. Rathalos, in particular."

"Alpha or Beta?"

"Alpha."

The Head Smith nodded with a confident smile before whistling, drawing the attention of the two younger blacksmiths behind him. The Head Blacksmith turned to address the two, who had taken a pause to listen to their master.

"Rathalos Vambraces! On the double!"

The two blacksmiths nodded with determined eyes before the entire workshop wirred to life. The large claw on the ceiling quickly dropped the required materials into the forge before the two hammer wielding youths began to pound away at the molten materials.

The Head Blacksmith gave a confident grin as he watched the two men work away at their new goal, knowing that one day they would surpass him. Eclipsen watched with a shine in his eye, a sign that he was excited to behold the new product of the hunts he had undertaken.

The Head Blacksmith turned around giving an extra friendly smile to the Hunter.

"They should be done by next mornin'. Why don'tcha go have a bit of fun? Save me a drink while yer at it."

Eclipsen smiled and gave a nod before turning to leave. As he exited the workshop, one of the Fifth Fleet Hunters ran up to him.

"Eclipsen! Have you heard?!"

She asked, her Anjanath armor leaving little to the imagination during her excited movements. Eclipsen opted to stay silent, only raising an eyebrow at the young Huntress's question.

"An Azure Rathalos was spotted out in the Ancient Forest! A bunch of us are getting ready to go take it down!"

That piqued his interest. It had been a little over two weeks since the Pink Rathian had been discovered and slain in the Wildspire Waste. Rathalos was already a formidable opponent, as Eclipsen's dislike for heights made him ill-suited for the Insect Glaive.

Eclipsen have a nod to the Fifth Fleet Hunter, who showed a confident smile.

"If you want to help out, we're gathering at the entrance to Astera."

"Thank you for the offer, but I won't be joining you. I am already under orders to stay and rest. In the meantime, I do plan on getting as drunk as physically possible."

The hunter was taken aback by the statement as well as the innocent smile on Eclipsen's face. She sat silently for a moment before falling into uncontrollable laughter. Eclipsen maintained his smile, placing a hand on his waist and waiting for the Huntress's giggling to subside.

When it finally did, she gave a friendly pat on the shoulder before taking her leave.

Eclipsen looked over the rope railing on the deck of the workshop, watching as a group of nearly fifteen hunters gathered in preparation to hunt the Azure Rathalos.

Eclipsen could only hope for the best, as an Azure Rathalos was easily two times more aggresive than the normal King of the Skies.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! I wanted to go with a more symbolic style for this chapter so I apologise for both the long wait and the low quality of the fight scenes. Please leave a review so I know what to improve!

Krillshadow: Thanks! I try to give my stories as much detail as possible, even if the details are a little dark. I'm glad I'm providing an interesting story in the Monster Hunter world (pun) and I'm also glad the premise hasn't been too wierd. I really hope you will stick around for future chapters, especially now that Iceborne had been released.

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"What was your fight with Fatalis like?"

Hether asked, her mug and plate held firmly in each hand. Eclipsen gave her a glance from the corner of his eye, having been in the middle if taking a drink when she posed her question.

Nergigante perked up upon hearing the name of the Black Dragon, her posture stiffening.

She had heard of the infamous Elder Dragon, with many of the stories stating that it's wrath was meant to be feared by both man and monster alike. Even her parents had claimed that it was beyond even their prowess.

The humanized Elder Dragon looked over at Eclipsen with wonder in her eyes. This Hunter, a human, had bested the great Fatalis? It was simply unbelieveable. Fatalis was meant to be the ultimate human slayer, a creature possessing enough destructive power to level all of the New World if it wanted to.

Eclipsen met Nergigante's stare with one of nonchalance.

He had faced the Black Dragon in his early days, when his bloodlust and desire for fame were at their peak. He had not realized the respect he was meant to give the creatures he fought. Until Fatalis.

Fatalis had been the monster to instill true fear into him, also blessing him with the image of true wrath. That image of rage was the one he tried to replicate in battle, to grant the level of fear he felt on that day on the monsters he faced.

"It wasn't what you would imagine."

Eclipsen said as he set down his mug. Hether pouted slightly. She herself had heard the stories about Fatalis as a child and to meet the Hunter who had actually fought and defeated it was a dream come true. She simply had not had the time to ask.

"Please? I was raised on the stories about Fatalis. Are any of them true?"

Eclipsen sighed. The stories were always the same. He himself had recited his tale of battle to children of many ages, but it was always watered down. No blood, no horror, not even the trauma of fighting such a creature was conveyed in the tales.

It simply didn't give the Black Dragon the respect it deserved.

Eclipsen looked over at the two women. He saw in their eyes the same wonder that the children of the Old World had. The legends around Fatalis had given them an image of the stereotypical monster. The beast of death that destroyed anything and everything. An unstoppable force that had no immovable object to oppose it.

It was then that he decided that he would crush that sense of wonder. Just like Fatalis had crushed his.

-Transition-

The sound of footsteps could easily be heard through the stillness of Castle Shrade's air, as well as the faint sound of wing beats. The sky was a sickening mixture of blood red and dark purple, with clouds of swirling dark matter hanging in the sky like vengeful spirits. The soil around Shrade was dark and infertile, being acidic to any plant life that touched it.

A lone Hunter strode into this broken kingdom alone, ignoring the warnings and tales that other hunters had told him. His sword and shield rattled in their places, and the armor he wore made even more noise in response to his unbreaking stride. The dirt moved beneath his feet as if to guide him away from the cause of its deathly condition, hoping that another life would not be taken by the beast within the ruined Castle Shrade.

The Hunter did not stop, instead pressing his way forward with solemn determination. The gates of Castle Shrade were old and deteriorating, just like the rest of the land and stone. He passed the gate with little trouble, as the chain door meant to keep things out was drawn upwards in a sort of grim invitation to challenge the horror within.

The Hunter stopped, allowing his white hair to cease its swaying. His crimson eyes scanned the area before him, holding a youthful rage that could have rivaled the creature before them. His face was young, undamaged. He still had no idea of the challenges he would face later in his life.

A black shape slithered it's way across the sky, the sound of a dragon's roar and the beating of wings following close behind. The snake-like figure circled the area once, twice, three times before beginning to lower itself closer to the ground. It eventually came to a stop in the middle of the castle courtyard, allowing gravity to slam it's body into the earth.

The Hunter watched as the figure revealed itself, a pair of pitch black wings spreading outward and a maw full of fangs stretching and letting out a screech that made the very dirt around it to shake with fear. The Hunter stood steadfast, waiting for the beast to finish it's display.

The beast, Fatalis, closed it's mouth upon the ending of it's roar, returning the gaze of the human before it. Two sets of crimson eyes stared each other down, refusing to falter on either side.

The Hunter slowly drew his blade, being careful not to excite the Elder Dragon's ire. His eyes became sharper, searching for any weakness in the creature's armor. There were none. Just the pitch black steel scales of a beast said to melt the armor of others onto it's own hide.

The Hunter felt fear run through him. This was the beast he had worked his way up to. The ultimate challenge. And it was every bit as terrifying as the stories had stated.

Fatalis radiated an aura of pure murder, it's crimson eyes filled only with the desire to put an end to the life that had stumbled into it's Kingdom. The air seemed to writhe and shift around it, as if it was trying to escape from the beast.

Fatalis then lifted it's great maw and let out a roar that carried enough hatred to set the world ablaze.

The Hunter recoiled upon hearing it. His body shook and his will began to waver.

Then a fire lit itself within his soul. His eyes narrowed, locking onto the Black Dragon with fierce determination. The fear remained in the back of the Hunter's mind, but his goal was to face this beast of legend, and he wouldn't let his efforts go to waste.

The Hunter rushed forward, his sword sharpened and ready to face the beast of legend.

Fatalis finished it's roar just in time to slam it's front feet downward, shaking the ground and knocking the Hunter off balance. Fatalis lunged forward, it's fangs itching to taste the blood of the Hunter. The human managed to jump backwards, barely dodging as the mouth of Fatalis came clamping down on thin air.

The Hunter rolled to the left, dashing towards Fatalis' leg in an attempt to find an opening. The Elder Dragon easily countered, sending it's tail slamming into the young man. The Hunter flew through the air, gasping as he hit the ground and rolled. The roll was lucky, as Fatalis had come crashing down where the Hunter had landed.

The Hunter righted himself as fast he could before bolting to the right, this time being smart to the Dragon's tricks and leaping over the oncoming tail, managing to step on the appendage and carve a slash into Fatalis' back. The Elder Dragon gave a roar as it craned it's neck and bit at the Hunter, but failed as he leapt through the gap in it's mouth before it slammed shut.

The Hunter rolled again as he landed, turning directions and heading straight for the black beast. Fatalis righted itself and sent a stream of fire downward, being a second too late as only the back of the Hunter's armor was stained black with soot. The Hunter was quick to jam his sword in the creature's back leg, making it screech and fall onto it's side with a thunderous sound.

The Hunter sent his sword flying into the belly of the beast, scratching four more marks into the beast before it rolled over and smacked him away with it's arm. Fatalis sent another stream of flames towards the Hunter, chasing him as he sprinted away from the heat. Fatalis crept forward on all fours, chasing the Hunter slowly but steadily.

The Hunter looked backward before making a hard right, inciting a quiet snap from his ankle. He stumbled a bit before regaining his stride and rushing his way towards the side of Fatalis once more. The Dragon continued to follow him with it's flames, but was slow to stop it's breath before the Hunter held his sword backwards and stabbed it into Fatalis' leg. The young man used his sword as leverage, leaping up onto the back of the beast and grappling onto one of the spikes that lined it's back.

Fatalis thrashed about, attempting to dislodge the Hunter from it's back to no avail. The Hunter held on steadfastly, unwilling to let the Elder Dragon win in any aspect of the battle. Soon, Fatalis tired itself out enough for it to slow it's movements, allowing the Hunter to raise his sword and plunge it into Fatalis' spine. The Elder Dragon let out a howl before falling to it's side once more. The Hunter let go of the spike he was holding onto and let the beast lower him to the dirt.

He unleashed another barrage of strikes, this time with twice the anger and force behind them as the last chain of attacks. He slammed his shield into the back of the Dragon, seemingly angering the creature and prompting it to right itself and slam the side of it's head into him. He flew through the air, slamming into the side of the courtyard painfully.

Fatalis watched as the Hunter slumped down the wall, believing it's battle to be over. Another set of armor to sear onto it's damaged hide. Fatalis craned it's neck upward, letting out a triumphant roar that shook the stones of Castle Shrade. A loose brick fell, slamming into the Hunter's shoulder and drawing a pained groan from the nearly dead human. Fatalis stopped mid howl and locked it's eyes onto the Hunter, now wise to the human's unconciousness. It crept forward, it's teeth bared and ready to finish the Hunter with a final blow.

As Fatalis' mouth curled around the Hunter, a glint of light caught the edge of Fatalis' vision before the sight in it's left eye went dark. The Hunter twisted his sword viciously, jamming it further into Fatalis' eye and ignoring the stream of blood from his head invading his own right eye. The Hunter quickly lifted himself upward, using Fatalis' nostrils as footholds for the creature's thrashing. He twisted the blade again, this time in the opposite direction and coaxing out another pained screech from his opponent.

The Hunter leaned in close, making sure that Fatalis' remaining eye locked with his own.

"How does it feel? Feeling the same amount of pain you've inflicted on so many others?"

The Hunter gave another twist.

"Guess you've never thought that you'd feel the same pain."

The Hunter quickly tore his sword from Fatalis' eye, instead lifting his shield and sending it crashing down on the Dragon's horn and breaking the feature from it's head. Fatalis howled and let out a whirlwind of fire, forcing the Hunter to dislodge his feet to avoid them being seared beyond repair. He was knocked forward, but managed to grasp one of the black dragon's remaining horns. He wasted no opportunity and plunged his sword into Fatalis' neck, drawing out a splash of crimson liquid.

Fatalis thrashed about again, making the Hunter's hand slip from it's horn. Fatalis lunged, burying it's fangs in the Hunter's left arm and slamming him down on the ground, bringing out a painful snap from the human's body. Fatalis allowed itself to fall onto all fours while it watched the Hunter push himself onto his own hands and knees. The Hunter spit up a reasonably large pool of blood, following with a ragged sounding chain of coughs. Once he had cleared the blood from his throat, the Hunter looked to his right, locking eyes with Fatalis once more.

Their eyes only held anger. The rage of the forsaken and the anger of the wounded. Their combined malice could blot out the entirety of the Old World's skies, and then some.

Both were bloody and beaten, one more so than the other, but that didn't matter. This was a battle between hunter and hunter. No, a battle between man and force of nature. A mere human versus a raging hurricane of power, and the human was standing his ground. He was rooted to the ground just enough to stare down this whirlwind, and cut into it's winds like a mountain in it's path.

The Hunter stood shakely, careful not to draw pain from his surely broken ribs. He bent over, lifting his sword from the ground and shaking off the crimson liquid that stained it. Fatalis simply took a breath and a step forward, it's lungs beginning to fill with air in preparation for it's next burst of flame. The Hunter straightened himself, putting his sword at the ready and holding his shield in front of him.

They stood for a moment, each readying themselves for the second round.

The Hunter rushed forward, his shield held aloft to deflect any deadly attacks. And deflect it did as it held steadfast against the river of flame that Fatalis sent spiraling towards the Hunter. He endured the flames for a moment, pushing forwards despite the sensation of his lower armor heating up to dangerous temperatures. He leapt to the right at the last moment, avoiding any further heating and stifling what heat there was by rolling in the dirt.

He quickly righted himself and dashed forwards, once again leaping into the air to avoid Fatalis' tail and landing smoothly. He turned to the right, burrying his sword in the Dragon's backside. Fatalis roared and kicked like a bull, dislodging the sword and sending the Hunter flying into the air. The Hunter flipped around, managing to angle his feet towards the ground and preparing to pierce Fatalis' hide once more.

Fatalis craned it's neck in a spiral, spotting the descending Hunter with some effort. It opened it's mouth and unleashed another torrent of flame. The Hunter lifted his shield, deflecting the flame but sending him off course slightly. It didn't matter as he still plunged his sword into Fatalis, but this time he stabbed into the wing of the beast and nailed it to the ground. Fatalis howled as the bones in it's right wing snapped under the pressure of being stomped into the ground.

The Black Dragon quickly let loose a wave of flames, but missed as the Hunter ripped his sword from the wing and rolled forward, just barely singing the Hunter's boots. The human rushed to the left this time, jumping forward just in time to dodge as Fatalis lunged forward to bite him in half. He landed hard in the dirt, but lifted himself quickly enough to continue his run without being crushed by Fatalis' front feet. The Hunter turned around, slashing into the black dragon's left forearm and drawing a yelp from the Elder Dragon.

The Hunter did a flip backwards as Fatalis attempted to bite at him again before restarting his sprint to the right. He circled Fatalis, this time managing to cut into it's tail as he leapt over it. Fatalis did another sweep with it's tail, slamming head on into the Hunter's back and sending him spiraling through the air. He landed face first, but used the momentum gained to roll forwards and restart his run.

The Hunter quickly withdrew something from his armor, stopping dead in front of Fatalis and whipping the object at the Dragon. It hit Fatalis square in the face before exploding in a flash of light, giving the Hunter enough of a window to rush forward and plunge his sword into it's chest. Fatalis recoiled, lifting onto two feet and screeching. The Hunter pushed his blade deeper into Fatalis' scales and gave a twist, drawing another pained howl from the creature.

The attack was apparently enough to make the Dragon's legs give out, sending it collapsing to the earth with a thundering boom. It made no effort to writhe as it had before, instead laying still on the ground, with the only motion from it being it's pained breaths. The Hunter slowly lifted himself from the ground, having been slammed into the dirt with the Elder Dragon.

He walked forward, ripping his sword from the chest of the beast. Fatalis gave a small whine as the blade was pulled from it's body, supposedly reached it's limit in pain. Blood pooled around the Dragon as it slowly bled out, no doubt from the neck and chest wound. The rest of it's form was stained a bloody crimson like the sky, with the untouched parts being just like the swirling purple clouds.

The Hunter was not much better. Blood streamed from his head and his lip a was an ugly broken red. He also bled from his temple, as it had met with the dirt painfully. His armor was stained with both the blood of his opponent and his own, along with the black soot that had clung on after Fatalis' first flame attack. His shield bore hairline cracks and was also stained black. His sword was now dull and had tiny bends in the blade, with the only sharp part being the point.

The Hunter walked forward, circling around Fatalis' head and stopping at it's remaining eye. The Dragon only heaved and flopped onto it's stomach, giving the Hunter the courtesy of looking it in the eye once more.

They stared once more into each other's crimson eyes. This time, all that remained was a tiredness and a respect only an archnesmesis could bare. Fatalis' eyes held a sorrow, one borne of a life filled with hatred and malice, and a desire to be free of that inborn hatred. The Hunter's eyes held a sorrow that came from a lifetime filled with fighting, and a desire to no longer have to fight in order to prove himself.

The Hunter lifted his hand and set it upon Fatalis' head, giving the Dragon the first touch from a human that was not meant to do the Elder Dragon harm. Fatalis breathed heavily, it's body seemingly reaching it's limit. The Hunter leaned forward, setting his head on Fatalis' snout.

Then, as the Hunter's hand met the Dragon's scales, he realized that he was no better than it.

He had gone across the Old World, slaying and skinning and killing without any regard for the monsters he hunted. Their plights, their offspring left to die without a parent, even the mate of the Monster who had now lost their only chance to bring about a legacy.

He realized that hunters were cruel creatures, and that Fatalis was the one who was truly right in it's ways. To eliminate a hunter is to prevent a great many deaths.

The Hunter gazed into the Dragon's eyes, finding that he understood the creature. It looked back, also knowing that it's great goal had reached beyond the limitations of species and the line between Human and Monster.

Fatalis let out a sigh, it's body finally starting to give in to the wounds it had sustained. The Hunter closed his eyes, content to wait with the Black Dragon until it's final breath. To give it some form of comfort.

The Hunter sighed, keeping his eyes closed. Fatalis' breathing became shallower, eventually slowing to one near death. The Hunter waited for the end of the Elder Dragon, even maintaining his patience until the Dragon's last movements.

Suddenly, Fatalis drew in a great breath, it's body lifting with the effort. It opened it's mouth wide, allowing its tongue to fall out of it's maw.

Upon the pink appendage was a black sword, made unlike any other. The blade was shaped strangely, bearing a crescent point and a rune embedded guard. The black metal of the sword glistened like Fatalis's blood-soaked scales.

With a small movement, Fatalis sent the blade tumbling to the ground. It landed with a clattering sound and Fatalis closed it's maw once more.

With that, the Dragon fell silent and the body of the creature stilled. The Hunter kept his hand on the Dragon's body, feeling the warmth drain from it's corpse. The Hunter sighed, lifting his head from the Dragon and returning his hand to his side.

He looked down at the sword, watching as the blade glinted in what little light was around Castle Shrade.

The Hunter bent to pick up the sword and as he touched it, he felt the remnants of what Fatalis was flow through him.

And he knew that his journeys were not yet done.


	15. Chapter 15

Here's another chapter! I hope you enjoy and please leave a review.

Krillshadow: Well, I'm glad your open minded. I'm honestly just happy having such a wide base of readers.

The Megaevolved Pony: I've always viewed it more as duality. Hunters kill monsters to make armor and reserve balance, in the commission anyway. Monsters kill hunters to survive and continue with their business. It's a double sided coin.

Guest: I honestly don't know if I'll get to that. It's gonna take some time.

Enjoy!

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With the end of the story, the two listeners realized that Eclipsen's journey's were not for the light hearted. Nor for those who thought hunting was a virtuous cause.

Eclipsen was clear to explain that with the profession of hunting, came the title of murderer to many of the creatures living in both the Old World, and the New.

He had explained it in very harsh terms.

"Hunting is not a one sided thing. It is the duty of those who aren't afraid to bloody their hands, whether it's for the good of humans or monsters. Fatalis was an ancient creature, born to do one thing. He was the opposite of a Hunter. He was the one who balanced the deaths of monsters with the deaths of humans. Even the ancient Fatalis who destroyed Shrade was painfully aware of the death he brought, and it was quite clear to me after that night that Monsters can feel guilt. True guilt.

Like the guilt I carry on my shoulders. Just like the dead parts of Monsters we wear, Hunters are meant to bear the weight of their sins and be reminded of them when we finally return to the Earth. It's the World's way of showing us that no creature, whether human or monster, is free of the sin that comes with being a balance of nature. Fatalis also knew this, as he was the one who welded human remains onto his scales. He bore that sin too, but the young Fatalis I fought was not the older one that destroyed Shrade. He was an adolescent. One who still thought that his sins were not of importance.

In that last moment, that Fatalis realized what his predecessor bore. He realised that I was the counter to his bloodlust. I too was baptized in a way by the battle. I learned the same thing. I learned that even great destructive creatures like Elder Dragons were not absolved of their own sins. Many Elder Dragons go their entire lifetimes without killing a human. They only killed to survive. Survival is not a sin. Killing to protect your own kind or another is.

In that way, Brad and the Field Team Leader are the same as Fatalis. They kill without considering the lives of their prey as important. They will realize one day that they have too much blood on their hands to ignore. They will be condemned to the same fate as me. A life of simple killing and working though the guilt.

You've never seen suffering until you realize the armor you wear is made of mothers, fathers, daughters and sons. The shredded flesh of an innocent creature.

In that way, we are no different from Fatalis."

-Transition-

Those words hung heavy with Nergigante. She had never could've guessed that the Hunter carried such a weight upon his shoulders. At first glance, she had assumed that he was just a hunter with a small respect for monsters, but the curtain had been ripped away and Eclipsen's true feelings had spilled forth.

Hether had visibly deflated after he had delivered his speech, her normally happy personality cracked and revealed a woman who truly cared for her partner.

She was envious of Hether for that. To be able to comfort someone you respect even when the hurt that they bear hurts you in turn. Nergigante's status as a monster-human hybrid made that impossible for her.

Now she sat in Eclipsen's Private Quarters, having been escorted back by the Hunter's cat companion. He was still wary of her, which she found amusing. She had decided that she would tease the Felyne as much as she could.

It was too bad that the Palico had fled back go the canteen as soon as the door closed, leaving the Elder Dragon alone in the room besides the Wigglers in the pots and the Coralbird in the tree.

She sat quietly on the bed, her wing pulled out in front of her. He scraped her now small talons across them, shaving off some of her spines. They were nuisance, even when she was still normal. They itched when left for too long without grooming. She remembered her grandparents having crooked and uneven spines from years of not grooming, which wasn't a true problem. Rather it was simply strange to look at the spikes jutting out awkwardly in ways they shouldn't.

Many thoughts still ran through her head, but she decided to focus on one topic.

How did she feel? About the Hunter, the Handler, all of this. Why was she so fond of the idea of staying with the Hunter and eating good food everyday? Her natural instincts were still strong, and every single one of them told her to spread her wings, leap out a window and fly back to the Elder's Recess.

But when faced with the starvation she experienced out in the wild, it was not a logical decision. Her instincts were not aware that here in the human settlement, she could slowly work her way into things and keep herself fed.

Nergigante had to admit that her hatred of hunters and humanity in general had long been tossed away. Her parents would've angrily reprimanded her for such a thing, but she didn't care.

Even her instincts had admitted that these humans were good people. Hether and Eclipsen both simply worked for what they wanted, even if the guilt upon Eclipsen's shoulders was soul-crushing. Hether was a ray of sunshine and it somehow never failed to make Nergigante feel better.

These two had treated her with respect and kindness. Even Eclipsen's leader was a kind man at heart. She could sense that the Commander was someone who wanted to preserve balance, but also knew how the Ecosystem would function with or without hunters, and that if he let the reigns go to much, then the hunters would end up destroying the Ecosystem. She had to admit that if he was the one who faced her, she would've fared much worse in battle.

These humans had accepted her when any other Monster would've rejected her new form outright. How these humans could accept something that they previously feared was beyond her, as many of the hunters she had known were simply scared little people with oversized weapons.

Her thoughts circled back around to Eclipsen. He was ultimately the one responsible for turning her into this form, but she somehow didn't mind as much as she used to. She had only been here for a day, but her anger and rage had seemingly just disintegrated.

She respected Eclipsen greatly. For a individual to defeat an Elder Dragon is something very important in the wild. Not many monsters could do it, but if they did the Elder Dragon would begin to respect the monster, even going so far as to start what looked like friendships.

Maybe it was the same for her and Eclipsen. Nergigante didn't really know. It wasn't her specialty to think about these things in detail.

But she knew that she felt grateful to him. She had secretly accepted the fact that whatever Eclipsen had done had saved her from the normally gruesome fate of death. It was a life not like the one she had grew up in, but it was comfortable.

With that, Nergigante came to the conclusion that these hunters were worthy of her presence. They held enough respect for the monsters they hunted to earn Nergigante's slight trust. It was nigh a miracle they had even gotten that from her.

The sound of footsteps echoed near the door, drawing the Elder Dragon out of her thoughts and grooming.

The door swung open, revealing Hether with Eclipsen following closely behind. Hether's face was slightly flushed and her movements were lanky. Not to mention she reeked of alcohol. Nergigante's nose crinkled at the scent.

Hether walked in with a yawn, a goofy smile plastered onto her face. Eclipsen followed quickly after.

His face his dark and his eye held a sorrow that was unexplainable. He smelled slightly of alcohol, but not to the extent Hether did.

He looked over at the Handler before speaking quietly.

"I'll set up the hammock for you."

Hether gave a giggle and nod before plopping down on the bed and flopping backwards, seemingly failing to notice the spined tail the back of her head nearly collided with.

The Hunter moved over to the other side of the bed with slow and calculated movements, bending down and reaching into the Item Box. He withdrew a small bundle of material and moved away from the box.

He walked to the other side of the bed and proceeded to unroll the material into a long blanket like cloth that he tied onto two hooks that had been placed into the walls.

He shook the material a bit, making it fully form into the cloth hammock he had mentioned.

He walked back to the bed and tapped Hether on the shoulder. She gave a soft drunken giggle in reply.

"It's set up."

"Okay~."

With that, he moved over to the other side of the bed and sat down on the edge of it. His very aura radiated sadness. Nergigante had to resist the urge to lunge forward and embrace him.

The man reached up towards the strings on his Odogaron armor, gently pulling at them and releasing the pressure on his chest. He then unclipped and loosened the rest of his chest plate before lifting it off his head.

Nergigante once again found herself staring at the Hunter's exposed chest. The bandages around his chest and sides did little to hide the many scars and signs of battle that were scattered about his flesh.

She unconsciously reached forward, placing a hand on one of the exposed parts of his back. The heat from his skin was nice and moderate, and his muscles seemed to sink into her touch.

He didn't seem to care that she was touching him, as he simply placed his Odogaron armor next to the bed and went about unclipping his waist armor. The black cloth that wrapped around his waist soon joined the chest plate.

Nergigante didn't move her hand for the duration of the movements. The feeling of the Hunter's skin on her scaled hands was strange but... pleasant. Like a warm drink of a hot spring in a cold environment.

What she didn't expect was for Eclipsen to lean back into the touch. His muscles seemed to relax as she rubbed her hand across his back.

It was early in the morning now. At least around one in the morning. Eclipsen was just tired. Tired of many things, it seemed.

Nergigante found herself wanting to just embrace him and keep him close for the night, like a worried mother would do for a scared child. She knew it would be crossing a few boundaries and that she would find herself hating the sentimentality she had developed, but it was a small price to pay

A small price indeed to comfort this wounded warrior.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! After playing a few days of Iceborne, I have an intense urge to start writing a fic about it. I promise you that I do plan on posting a story on it after this one is finished, but I'm having a hard time not splurging on said story at the moment

Once again, please leave a review! They honestly really help me write future chapters. They're really good motivation boosters.

The Megaevolved Pony: Ooo that gave me chills. Maybe I will get to the steamy bits soon. (:

Enjoy!

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Nergigante awoke in a dark place. When she had first opened her eyes, she would've confused the environment around her for the back of her eyelids if it wasn't for the red light shining down.

It was confusing at first, to wake up in such a dark landscape. The ground seemed to be made of pitch black, shining as the red light bounced off it's surface.

A crimson circle hung in the sky, with the moon concealing the light of a sun and staining it a dark red. A single trail of bloody light dripped from the eclipse, meeting the blackened Earth in an uncanny union between sky and dirt.

Black chains littered the sky, with each link crossing another section of another chain. The chains crossed every which way, linking themselves to obsidian mountains that circled the black plains Nergigante stood in.

The chains were pulled taught. Some of the links even creaked under the pressure they looked to be under. Each of them lead to a singular point in the dark landscape.

Eerily, it was the same point the trail of crimson light met the Earth.

And in that point, a creature was chained.

It breathed shallowly, as the chains had been bound to it by blood-stained restraints that were fitted under the creature's slightly crimson stained scales.

Nergigante reeled when she recognized the creature as an Elder Dragon. Her instincts told her so. Her species had a unique ability to sense and track Elder Dragons, and the thing before her set off every instinct tied to that ability.

The Elder Dragon looked like a traditional Elder Dragon. It's wings were large, at least twice the size of it's body. It stood at ten feet tall, it's total length being just under eighteen feet from snout to tail tip. A pair of upward curving horns adorned it's head, bearing the same obsidian color as the land around it.

It's mouth lacked lips, only bearing large obsidian colored teeth with a set of two larger canines at the front of it's mouth. Large curved blades lined it's spine, stretching all the way down to the tip of it's tail where the last blade formed an abyssal black spike.

It's wings bore two inward curving spikes where Nergigante's own were also placed. It's claws made up the last few inches of it's five fingered paws and it's elbows, both front and back, bore two inward facing blades reminiscent of both it's wing spikes and the spines on it's back.

It's scales were a grayish color and had a layer of crimson on top of the gray. It's scales were not exactly scales, more like large plates of gray bio-organic armor.

It's wings were pulled out painfully far, held in place by wicked hooks that were at the end of each chain. It's tail was nailed in place by four large iron rods that also made up the end of four individual chains. A large iron rod was placed in both of it's forepaws, keeping them rooted to the ground.

It's horns were held by iron rings that bore another chain on the front which ended in a large nail the ground. A set of four more iron rods were buried in it's back, with two on each side of it's spine.

Nergigante could only imagine the agony the Elder Dragon was in, with those metal hooks and nails keeping it from moving as well as digging into it with every movement. Breathing must have been hard for it.

That's when the creature moved slightly. It's head lifted upward as far as the restraints in it's horns would allow. It let out a raspy breath as it moved, making the chains moan under the pressure. Crimson steam poured from it's teeth, filling the air with the scent of blood and gore.

The stench quickly invaded Nergigante's nose, making her shake her head and place her fingers on her nose to block it out.

The Elder Dragon seemed to wake up, opening only it's right eye. Crimson light poured from the socket, reminding Nergigante heavily of the bloody eclipse in the sky.

As soon as the Dragon met her gaze, it began to struggle against it's restraints. The iron nails in the Elder Dragon's feet began to move and the membranes of it's wings made a tearing sound as it pulled every muscle away from the chains.

The chains themselves didn't fare very well against the draconic strength of the creature. The two chains holding the horns of the Dragon to the ground snapped with a loud cracking sound. Like a bungee cord breaking under intense weight.

Not a moment later, the hooks in it's wings tore their way completely out of the membrane, leaving large torn sections of broken scaly flesh.

Nergigante stumbled backward as the Elder Dragon lifted itself from the obsidian ground. Something about this dragon made her nervous. Even more nervous than the Black Sword that the Hunter carried.

Then she noticed that the Elder Dragon's aura was eerily similar to the Hunter's, albeit warped and damaged beyond belief. The similarities were uncanny. It bore no crimson iris on the left side, mirroring Eclipsen's own missing eye.

The Dragon lifted it's head and roared. The roar was ear-splitting, shaking the very landscape around it. Nergigante had to press her hands to her ears to block it out, and even then it was above what was safe for hearing.

It's mouth began to open more and a crimson light crawled up the Elder Dragon's throat before exploding out of it's maw in a beam of pure red Dragon element. The beam was thick, burning even the air with the sheer heat of the energy.

Black smoke seeped out of the edges of the Dragon's mouth, staining the already red colored air with a dark miasma.

The beam of energy reached far into the sky, striking the eclipse head on. The crimson circle then exploded into a fiery ring of orange, sending pieces of flame and meteorites showering down upon the black landscape.

The area's temperature then became intensely hot, making even Nergigante uncomfortable. Small pieces of molten rock struck the ground all around both her and the Elder Dragon, cracking the obsidian ground with each impact.

The beam them died out as the Dragon clamped it's mouth shut. The black smoke seeped out of the cracks of it's teeth, the edges of the dark miasma floating with glowing embers.

Nergigante met the Dragon's gaze head on, her yellow eyes countering it's crimson orb.

Then the Dragon lunged, each chain snapping and failing to hold it back as it's mouth curled around Nergigante and clamped down.

-Transition-

Nergigante nearly leapt out of the bed as the nightmare reached it's climax.

The blankets around her were soaked with sweat and her spines had speared a few places in the mattress, leaving holes in both the sheet and the mattress.

She looked rapidly about the room, finding it completely calm. The muffled sound of the water wheel was the only thing she heard besides Hether's drunken snoring.

Eclipsen seemingly hadn't even been shaken by Nergigante's nightmare induced sleep movements. He slept soundly, his right arm tucked beneath both his head and pillow, while his left arm rested on his chest. His breathing was calm and undisturbed.

Nergigante redirected her gaze towards what was in front of her. Her mind wandered unwillingly back towards the nightmare.

What was that creature? Why did it feel exactly like Eclipsen? Why was it chained like that?

Too many questions swirled about her head at once, forcing her to close her eyes and try to recall the actual dream.

It had ended right when the jaws of the Dragon had clamped down on her. When she would've died.

Nergigante couldn't think of anything as to why this dream had invaded her sleep. She was too tired to even think of an answer to her previous questions.

With a sigh, the Elder Dragon lowered herself back onto the bed and laid on her right side. She shifted a bit closer to the Hunter before slipping her hand around his left arm and closing her eyes.

Hopefully the pieces would put themselves together in the morning.


	17. Chapter 17

Here's an extra long chapter for you guys. I wanted to put a lot into this one so I can make the next one a bit more detailed. Plus I wanted to bring some more drama in. Hehe...

blackx57: Intense is usually how you'd describe a nightmare, right? I plan on continuing until I finish this one and then in to Iceborne! There is sooo much juicy potential in the DLC!

Guest: I'm glad the detail is the way I want it to be. I've never been a good drawer, so I decided to make it so that each scene is really easy to imagine. Some of the books I've read don't give any kind of detail at all, which bothers the hell out of me.

Luine Mercury LWG: It's too bad that Elder Dragons can't be captured. Glad I got you back into the game! Especially with new material in Iceborne. My fingers are itching to write a fic around it! I gotta finish this one first.

Cactus (Guest): Here is your wish! A new chapter! Also thank you for the praise. I am trying my best.

On with the story!

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The night ended up being calm. Hether was moved to the hammock after she had fallen asleep, Nergigante reclaimed her place clutching Eclipsen's arm and he himself slept like a baby.

He had to admit that it was nice waking up with someone next to him other than Sundancer, who was nowhere to be found. Whatever the Palico was doing, Eclipsen was sure that it somehow involved Ayla's Palico Strida.

He had woken up somewhere around ten in the morning, with the sunrise shining into the window brightly. The Elegant Coralbird was just starting to rouse itself from sleep with a few gentle tweets.

Nergigante was still sleeping deeply, her arm curled around Eclipsen's own. Her wings were once again spread out and her tail was hanging off the edge of the bed.

Eclipsen stared at the cieling for a bit, thinking about the night before. He didn't feel as if he had a hangover, which was nice. He knew that Hether wouldn't be feeling well once she woke up.

He then realized that he was becoming fond of Nergigante. Though he had been slightly intoxicated the night before, it didn't change the fact that her touch ignited something within him. The rest of the night before had been tame, besides him helping the Elder Dragon remove the clothes she had on.

Nothing else had resulted, as by now he was comfortable with the fact that Nergigante liked to sleep nude. Though he wasn't much better as he had not bothered to remove his Girros Greaves.

With a sigh, Eclipsen began to lift himself from the bed. Nergigante gave an offended huff before pulling her wings in and rolling over. All the three actions taking place while she slept.

The Hunter allowed himself a tiny smile before he readjusted his pillow to support his back and sat up.

The morning was calm, the sound of the water wheel outside providing a gentle background for the upcoming day of rest.

Eclipsen's crimson eye found something non-specific to focus on, lulling him into a state of mind-wandering. It wasn't complete mindlessness though.

A great typhoon of memories swirled about his mind, both familiar and alien in nature. He remembered his first few steps at the age of six months, then the painful burning of the broken bones he had received in his many battles. He remembered the loving embrace of his mother, who still lived peacefully in the Old World. Then he remembered the dark flames of an Elder Dragon he couldn't recall the name of, as he had fought too many to fully relive the hunt.

Then, a thought struck Eclipsen. A weapon. One that could be feral, yet sophisticated enough to sheathe itself away from harming those who were not a target. A bladed weapon, like the claws of an Odogaron that hid behind the original four talons.

He looked over at Nergigante, who still slept soundly despite her recent movement. He stared at the blackening spines that lined her wings, tail and head. His eye focused on her arms, before the thought began to take form in the eye of his mind.

The Hunter quickly leaned over the bedside, sliding his arm under the mattress and pulling out the collapsible drawing board with the purpose of a charging Diablos. The stands couldn't flip outwards fast enough as Eclipsen opened the drawing stand with lightning speed, sliding the blueprints of his previously designed weapon behind a set of blank papers before lifting a few fresh sheets onto the drawing face.

He withdrew the feathered ink pen from the bottom of the drawing board, twisting the the front of the drawing tool and bringing out the metal stencil that leaked a small drop of ink onto the blankets. Eclipsen placed the pen onto the paper and began his handiwork, ignoring the tweets of the Coralbird as it flew out the window. The Hunter knew it would return, as it always did when it left. Somewhat like Sundancer, who always returned to hunt with him.

The lines of the schematic in his head seemed to draw themselves as he let the pen glide across the surface of the paper. The lines were thin, showing just how lightly he pressed the stencil into the paper, and also hiding the enthusiasm and passion he was putting into the weapon he had thought of. Those who would look upon the blueprint in the future would think a cold calculating machine had drawn them, instead of a man inspired by the many things he had experienced.

The weapon was not complicated like a Charge Blade or a Switch Axe, instead it was a simple thing. It was a combination of the simplicity of the Dual Blades but also the advanced design of the Slinger.

The image formed on the paper, mirroring the thought that had brought it into existence. A pair of thin blades, twenty inches in length strapped onto a gauntlet. The blades rested on each side of the top of the forearm and with a flick of the wrist and the whirring of a few mechanisms, the blades would lunge out from their resting places on the arm. They would stay in their outstretched position until the mechanism was activated again, in which case they would slide back into their sheathed state.

Eclipsen felt as if he was simply a passenger in his own body as his hands and the pen put his idea onto the paper. This kind of drive came rarely, and it was his goal to act upon that drive whenever it made itself known.

So, he fell into the same stupor that he did in battle, the simple thought to finish what he had started remaining. Meanwhile, the image of the weapon remained in the front of his mind, drawing itself onto the paper like it was trying to solidify it's own existence.

-Transition-

It had been almost an hour since Eclipsen started his project, rarely ever taking a break in order to rest his arm. The limb didn't seem to object, as it's mission had yet to be completed.

He even ignored the hunger that struck him, as he had more important things to do other than feed a body that was already doing little to waste it's energy. Now he had assumed a cross-legged position with the drawing board sitting in his lap. He was leaned forward, his face painfully close to the paper as he wrote down the mechanisms of the weapon and added precise angles and lengths to the blueprint.

He almost failed to notice when the sound of knocking emanated from the door. Or he would have, it it wasn't for Hether's loud groaning at the noise. Eclipsen looked up from his project, seeing the Fiver Bro standing at the door with a platter of food held tightly in his armored hands.

Fiver Bro, whose true name was Brandon, was a man of pure muscle. He was obsessed with building up more muscle, so much so that even the Meowscular Chef was worried with the amount of ingredients Brandon consumed with each meal. But beyond his desire to consume the best muscle building meals, he was a passionate man that wanted to see people succeed. He was the personal trainer of Astera, helping many of the Fifth Fleet hunters improve their hunting techniques as well as their muscle structure.

Eclipsen waved for him to come in, also adding a finger to the lips in order to convey they he needed to enter quietly. Brandon nodded from the behind the door window before balancing the tray on one arm and opening the door as gently as he could, which was much quieter than Eclipsen expected it to be.

Brandon tip-toed into the room after closing the door with his foot, the tray of food held carefully as he moved.

"Hey dude, the Chef asked me to bring you some breakfast."

Brandon whispered. Eclipsen gave a grateful smile as he folded the legs of the drawing stand and set it further down in the bed. The fellow Fiver handed the tray to Eclipsen, who set it carefully onto his lap in the same place where the drawing stand had rested.

"Thank you."

Eclipsen said just as quietly as Brandon had. Said Fiver lifted the chair that the Tracker had sat in before moving it closer to the bed and taking a seat.

Eclipsen looked down at the dish that Brandon had brought, feeling his hunger come back full force. The meal was a simple bowl of beef stew, with a mug of what Eclipsen guessed to be strong herbal tea and a side of bread. The Hunter lifted the spoon placed at the side of the bowl before dipping it into the stew and lifting the bite to his mouth.

The taste was exquisite, as always. The Meowscular Chef somehow made every meal he cooked into a tasty dish that no one in Astera could turn down. It made up for the sub-par liquor that the Canteen provided, but the Argosy usually brought in better spirits every other week. Said alcohols then would be used in a single night during the weekend, which the Commander was never happy about.

Eclipsen could see why. How were a bunch of hungover hunters supposed to hunt an Apex Predator when they were busy emptying their stomachs every other minute?

Brandon looked over at the drawing board for a moment, staring at the well drawn blueprints resting on it.

"What are you working on?"

He asked, standing up slightly in order to get a better look at the plans. Eclipsen swallowed his bite of stew before placing the spoon down onto the tray.

"It's a weapon for her."

He said, gesturing to the sleeping Nergigante with his thumb. Brandon leaned forward a bit more, placing his hand on his chin as he looked at the schematics. Eclipsen knew that the Fiver was memorizing the plans, as Brandon was the one to lock a design in his brain if he thought it could be useful as a new weapon. Eclipsen was happy to let him. In case the papers were lost or destroyed, Brandon could re-draw them based from memory.

While Brandon stared at the papers, Eclipsen continued to eat his breakfast.

It didn't take long for Eclipsen to finish the meal, as he was already a very quick eater. It showed when he got into eating contests with some of the other hunters around Astera. No one could out-eat him, but many had come close. That was not the case for drinking though, as the Hunter could hold down his liquor like no other, with the sole exception being Hether. Even she had drank too much the night before.

Eclipsen stretched as he chewed the last piece of broth soaked bread, allowing Brandon to lift the tray from his lap. Brandon waited for the Hunter to finish his stretch so he could give his opinion on the meal.

"Thank you, Brandon. Tell the Chef that it was delicious as always."

"You got it, bro."

Brandon said before walking towards the door and leaving quietly. Eclipsen watched as the door clicked shut, glancing at the two sleeping women. Hether was still either passed out or trying to ward off her headache by being quiet and Nergigante was still in a sleep deeper than the water Ceadeus' swam in.

With that, the Hunter lifted the drawing board back onto his lap. He shifted the finished downward perspective schematic behind a fresh sheet of paper and lifted the pen from it's resting place on the nightstand. He began to draw a bottom view of the weapon, now starting to put the mechanisms into full detail.

-Transition-

After another half hour of fleshing out, the blueprints were starting to look at least partway complete. Even Eclipsen himself was surprised with just how fast he managed to progress with the plans. This had to be his most quickly completed project yet, and with the help of the Head Blacksmith it would be done even sooner.

The Hunter could already feel the pride he would have in the weapon once it was forged and put to the test. In fact, he was proud of the plans he had drawn up. He poured almost unnecessary amounts of detail into the schematics. How thick the blades would be, what the gauntlets were made of, the materials that the mechanisms would be made of, how quickly the blades were meant to launch outwards and retract back inwards.

With each pen stroke, he idea that had lingered in his mind became truth in the real world. Even if this creation had not been forged into a battle ready tool, it was still alive in the schematics that Eclipsen was still drawing up.

A faint meow drew Eclipsen's attention away from the project. He didn't mind, as at this rate it would be completed within the next two days. One or two distractions were easily forgiven.

The knob to the door slowly slid to the left, occasionally jerking back the other direction before quickly moving back. Finally, the handle clicked and the door swung open. Sundancer gently plopped to the floor before walking inside and shutting the door, his gear noticeably missing.

"Hello Meowster."

He said as the door clicked back closed again. Eclipsen spared a glance before proceeding to finish a particularly straight line. Sundancer's expression saddened a bit in response. The Palico then walked over to the chair that Brandon had be using, hefting himself up onto it before sitting quietly.

Eclipsen let out a sigh as he placed the pen down. He expected a distraction, but be needed to deal with the matter at hand.

"Sundancer, where have you been?"

He asked firmly. Sundancer looked like he was about to wither as the words reached his ears. The cat looked downward at his paws, which he somehow couldn't get to stop fidgeting.

"I... I was with Strida."

Eclipsen looked over to his partner before moving his gaze back to the drawing board. Sundancer didn't lift his eyes to meet his Master's gaze, but his body language said everything for him. He was slouched forward, his paws holding his feet in a strange sitting position.

Eclipsen didn't respond to the explanation for a bit, letting the silence drag on for a few moments. The tension was nonexistant, but the comfortable feeling between the two was missing. They had hunted together for longer than they both remembered, but issues were still a very real thing in their relationship.

"Are you angry at me?"

Sundancer asked, his voice holding more nervousness and pain than the wounds his Master had. Eclipsen let his eyes drift downward with another silent sigh. He moved his left hand, setting it gently on the edge of the drawing board. He rubbed his thumb gently across the surface of the board, feeling the perfectly crafted wood under his finger.

It was time to talk about this.

"No. I'm not angry. I never was. You are your own person, Sundancer. It doesn't matter to me that you've found someone you like to spend time with. That's to be expected."

Eclipsen said, eyes still locked on the blankets covering his lap. Sundancer nodded solemnly, his expression changing to one of deep sorrow. Thankfully, his head was bowed far enough that his Master didn't see it. Even if he did, he didn't comment.

"But..."

The Hunter continued. Sundancer prepared himself for words of reprimand. Ones about keeping to his duty as a partner, and that he should keep his Master above everything else. It was the code all Palico's were trained by.

"I miss my friend sometimes."

Sundancer felt every negative expectation shatter. Those words weren't the ones of angry correction, but ones of care. The words of a person who wanted to maintain a long relationship. Sundancer then realised that his Palico training had engrained in him more negative thoughts than he wanted.

"I miss you being around, Sundancer. The other day, before Nergigante arrived and I was bedridden, I only had the Coralbird to keep me company."

Sundancer remembered that day. He was out with Strida, enjoying a day of fishing and a quiet dinner. Meanwhile, his Master sat alone in his room, miserable thanks to his inability to move or work.

"The one thing that went through my mind was the days when you would be beside me when I was injured, helping me recover with Potions and Antidotes and helping when I needed to move around. And I wondered, 'where is my friend when I need him? I wish I had some company.'"

Eclipsen's voice carried a small sadness. He did indeed miss those warm days in the Old World, when all he and Sundancer would do was talk at the bar or undertake a particularly easy hunt, just to take their minds off things or to spend time with each other. They would even go to small carnivals together and watch as performers would throw small barrel bombs and successfully land them in a pool of water without it going off.

"I'm not saying that I want you to abandon your friendship with Strida. I'm trying to say... Don't let the relationships you already have go to waste. We've been partners for almost thirty years, Sundancer. I don't want that to disappear. Not when I need you."

Before the Hunter or the Palico knew it, Sundancer had leapt off the chair he was sitting in and landed on Eclipsen in a tackle-hug. His cat eyes streamed small tears and Eclipsen could feel the unsheathed claws dig into the blanket around his waist in an attempt to never let go.

Sundancer buried his face into the Hunter's chest, letting out small mewls of regret and sadness. Eclipsen gently let his hand drag down the Felyne's back, helping Sundancer through the small quakes that racked his furry frame.

The drawing board had flopped over, the papers still sitting safely on the face of it. It was like the object knew that the two partners needed some space and had moved to accommodate them.

The Palico and Hunter sat like that for a few minutes, with Eclipsen letting Sundancer let his feelings out while the Felyne dealt with the emotional whirlwind he had kept bottled up for the past months.

Finally, Sundancer lifted his head and began to speak.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know if you would approve of me and Strida. I... I just wanted to avoid it until it went away."

The Palico said. Eclipsen gave a soft smile as he placed his hand on Sundancer's head. The touch was gentle and conveyed more than words ever could.

"Of course I approve. Like I said, it doesn't matter that you've found somebody you care about. If I didn't, what kind of friend would I be?"

Sundancer nodded as Eclipsen scratched his head.

"All I ask is that you try to free up your schedule for me, okay?"


	18. Chapter 18

Hello everyone! I apologize for the time it took to get this chapter out. At first, I tried to make this chapter along with a longer, more efficent version of the next three chapters, but by the time I was done with this one I was pretty much burnt out.

But the bright side is that the next chapters are already being written as you read this.

ShadowfireAngel: Perhaps. Only time will tell.

Luine Mercury LWG: Nergigante's understanding of the spoken language already has her halfway to talking, but she needs to learn to read as well... Names are something that are planned, for sure. I doubt that the Commission would go without naming her. For all we know, Nergigante could tear apart the whole of Astera with ease, but it probably won't come to that.

And with the reviews responded to, onward with the story! Until next time.

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Nergigante grumbled as she slowly woke up. The dreamless sleep that had followed the nightmare was comfortable when combined with .the soft bed she had slept in.

She opted to keep her eyes closed in order to ward off the imminent waves of light that would assault her eyes. Her ears on the other hand deduced that the day was fairly calm. The sound of the water wheel outside and the soft penning of ink onto paper were the two most noticeable things.

The Handler's loud snoring could've drowned out the other two sounds, but thankfully she rested in the hammock to the corner of the room. The blankets that covered Nergigante were soft and prevented any chills from seeping into the bed, which would have lulled her back to sleep if she gave it some time.

Nergigante huffed as she slipped her arm under her pillow and began to claw away at the bottom. The pillows were not feather filled, instead being made of a strange foamy feeling substance that morphed back to it's original shape just a few moments after it had been squeezed or squished.

The Elder Dragon wanted to keep her eyes closed, if only for a few minutes more. She never got the chance to relax in the wild, thanks to the constant need to hunt, feed on and search for other Elder Dragons.

A few minutes later, she realised that putting off the inevitable was somewhat futile.

-Transition-

Eclipsen sighed as he finished the line he was drawing. The designs were already almost complete, with descriptive imagery that encompassed both top and bottom views of the weapon as well as details for the mechanisms. He even wrote a few side notes on how the blades of the weapon would remain strong and durable despite their long, thin composition.

Sundancer had moved to the end of the bed and curled into a small ball of fur and fluff. After the very much needed conversation, the two had grown even closer than they were before. Even though the Palico was wary of Nergigante, he agreed to properly meet her this time. So he waited patiently at the end of the bed.

The Hunter had been so focused on touching up his project that he failed to notice the first murmurs from the sleeping Elder Dragon beside him. She moved slowly, at first only shifting her position and moving her arm under her pillow. Not long after that, she let out a sigh before her body began to move more actively.

Once again, Eclipsen was stunned as Nergigante lifted herself from the bed.

The blankets seemed to slip off the draconic beauty like water, allowing her to spread her wings out in a huge morning stretch. She yawned loudly as she lifted her arms above her head, completely exposing her admittedly impressive bust.

Eclipsen moved his head just slightly, managing to narrowly dodge a blackened spine as Nergigante stretched her wings. She let out a loud groan as her muscles flexed and her bones gave disagreeing pops in response to the morning movement.

Then, in less than half a second, her entire body relaxed. Her wings sagged downward and her posture went from majestic to grumpy annoyance. Her eyes carried an irritated look, stating clearly that her sleep wasn't as peaceful as she would've preferred.

Eclipsen allowed himself a small smile as he twisted the stencil of his pen inward before placing it gently on the drawing board.

"Good morning."

He said quietly, trying to keep from irritating the grumpy Elder Dragon further. Nergigante glanced at the Hunter before sighing and fixing her slouched posture. Her wings folded in along with her tail as she moved into a cross-legged position, her spines shifting and making small sounds as she did. The noise was similar to the sound of tree branches colliding with each other in high winds.

Sundancer lifted himself from his place at the end of the bed and inched towards the now conscious Elder Dragon. Nergigante eyed him with interest as he walked up to her.

"Good meow-ning. It's uh... nice to meet you..."

He said slowly. Eclipsen could hear the nervousness in the Palico's voice. It seemed that Sundancer had decided to simply push through his fear of Nergigante and get the introductions over with.

Nergigante's yellow eyes stared at Sundancer like twin suns, making the Palico slowly shrink under their gaze. It lasted for a few seconds before Nergigante cracked a mischievous smile.

She reached forward slowly, making Sundancer close his eyes in fear. It was obvious that Nergigante was making her movement slow deliberately, forcing the tension and fear to rise as her hands grew closer to the Felyne. Eclipsen watched with morbid curiosity as Nergigante drew out her actions.

Sundancer flinched as Nergigante's clawed fingers grazed his fur before fully pressing down and beginning to comb it. He opened a single eye, beholding as Eclipsen chuckled lightly at Sundancer's reaction while Nergigante continued to drag her claws through his fur.

Sundancer gave an angry glare at Eclipsen before plopping down on the bed and crossing his arms, resigning himself to his fate of being brushed by Nergigante's claws.

The Elder Dragon kept her grin, but it strangely began to transform into a smile of enjoyment rather than mischievousness. Eclipsen didn't bother to banish his own smile either, knowing that he would most likely be smiling throughout most of the day anyway.

The peaceful air lasted for a few minutes, with Sundancer becoming comfortable, albeit slowly, with being around Nergigante. The Elder Dragon also seemed to abandon her grumpy mood as her brushing of Sundancer's hair grew gentler and more caring.

Then, from the other side of the room, a groan sounded.

Sundancer was quick to escape from Nergigante's grip as he leapt from the bed to check on the hungover Handler, making the draconian woman huff in mock hurt. Sundancer slid slightly as he stopped under the hammock, checking on Hether from under the hanging cloth.

"Meowster! Bucket!"

Eclipsen's movements were like lightning as he reached over the side of the bed and grabbed a metal bucket from in between the bed and the nightstand, proceeding to chuck it across the room where Sundancer caught the object with more skill than what he should've had for the task they were performing.

The Palico then slammed the bucket down next to the hammock and quickly backed away, just narrowly dodging as Hether tumbled onto the ground.

The Handler quickly searched around with her hand and upon touching the bucket she dragged her face over the poor object before releasing the contents of her stomach.

Sundancer watched from the corner of his eye, bearing a worried look. Nergigante simply watched Hether's convulsing back with a mixture of disgust and interest, barely noticing as Eclipsen opened a drawer on the nightstand and withdrew a small box.

He opened the box with an annoyed look, pulling out a fairly thin cigar and a matchbook. He proceeded to cut the end off the cigar with a small clipper before lighting the match and the cigar. He took a small puff of the cigar, blowing the smoke absentmindedly.

Hether continued to vomit for a few minutes with no small amount of gross and sometimes hilarious sounds, including the uttering of the phrase 'oh by the stars why' before another round of wretching. Nergigante grew slightly worried as time passed, recalling the time that her brother caught something from the meat he had consumed.

Even Elder Dragons were not immune to food poisoning. Especially from a Chameleos.

Eclipsen simply continued to smoke the cigar, as if the situation was as normal as a walk around Astera.

Eventually, Hether's stomach decided to settle enough for her to move away from the bucket, prompting her to wipe her mouth and flip over onto her back, using the back of her clean hand to hide her eyes from the sunlight. Eclipsen took a drag of the cigar before he spoke.

"So Hether, regretting your life choices yet?"

The Handler only responded with a low groan. Sundancer proceeded to sit down on the wooden floor, his worried look still remaining.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Eclipsen said with a little more snark than he intended before flicking the ashes of the cigar into a small bowl that had been held in the case he pulled the cigar from. Nergigante gave Eclipsen a look that neither could truly decipher, even the Elder Dragon herself couldn't truly guess what she was trying to convey.

"She'll be fine. This happens more often than we would like to admit."

He said before taking another pull, breathing deeply before letting loose a large cloud of smoke that drifted upward. The statement was painfully true, thanks to Hether being the heaviest drinker Astera had ever seen. Even the Meowscular Chef worried for the Handler's poor liver.

Nergigante raised a white eyebrow before redirecting her gaze back at Hether. This was very different from the food poisoning she was familiar with. It was slightly worrying, as alcohol was not a substance readily consumed by the many of creatures of the wild.

The Handler groaned a bit as she drew her left leg upward. Her entire body felt as if it was on fire, but that was from the vomiting. The headache was by far the worst thing, as every sound and vibration that she felt was like an arrow to the jaw. Said arrow would then plow through the bone to pierce the back of her brain.

Sundancer watched as Hether rolled over on the floor, most likely to try and find a comfortable position in her suffering state.

"The antidotes are in the desk."

Eclipsen said. Sundancer knew what he meant, as it was somewhat of a tradition to give the Handler one of the super enhanced antidotes when she was hungover.

The Palico nodded before padding over to said desk and pulling open the drawer. He shifted a couple things around before pulling out a small vial with a brilliant and glittery blue liquid inside. He closed the drawer and walked over to Hether, handing the small vial to her.

Hether took the vial without any objection, but instead of drinking the concoction she held it firmly in one hand. She wasn't confident that her stomach could hold down the Antidote and wretching the blue liquid back up would defeat the purpose of drinking it.

So Hether instead curled up tightly on the floor, keeping herself in a comfortable fetal position with the vial of liquid held closely. She would probably take it later, when she was more sure of her ability to keep it down.

-Transition-

It hadn't been long since Nergigante had woken and Hether had learned why hangovers aren't man's best friend. In fact, it had only been roughly half an hour.

Eclipsen continued to smoke the brown cylinder, though slowly. It was an old habit that he wasn't exactly fond of, but it did help when he had too much on his mind.

The Hunter was oddly silent, which drew more than one glance from Nergigante. The Elder Dragon knew almost immediately that Eclipsen was not focusing like normal. Instead, the crimson eye of the Hunter was locked on something far-off.

So, the two sat in relative silence.

Nergigante somehow didn't feel as hungry as she normally did when she woke up from sleep. Instead, she simply lacked any kind of appetite. It was strange to her that she didn't have her usual hunger, but it was a welcome departure from the pain of starvation.

Neither of them seemed to notice the footsteps that approached the door until a voice rang out.

"Oi, Fiver!"

Eclipsen snapped from his absent mindedness when the voice of the Head Smith met his ears. He quickly flicked the ashes of his cigar into the ash bowl before waving for the older Smith to come in.

The door creaked slightly as the Head Smith turned the knob and opened it. He stepped in quietly, being careful not to be too loud. It was kind of hard not to notice Hether curled up on the floor when one looked through the door window.

"How are ye' feelin'?"

He asked as he grabbed the chair that had been left out and took a seat.

Eclipsen immediately noticed the bandaging on the older man's right arm, spanning from his elbow to his wrist.

"Better. What happened to you?"

Eclipsen asked as he lifted the cigar and took a deep breath. The Head Smithy lifted his arm before grinning.

"Ah, this be just a third degree burn. One o' the boys was bein' a bit too reckless with the meterials."

He said. Eclipsen nodded as the information sank in. Nergigante stared at the Head Smithy with interest, which the Smithy soon returned.

"Ah, so ye' are the Elder Dragon lady everybody be talkin' about?"

Nergigante kept her stare, which bordered between glaring and simple looking. The two maintained their small staring contest for a few moments before Nergigante answered with a slow nod.

The Head Smithy gave a friendly smile before looking down. It was then Eclipsen realised that the blankets she was covered by merely covered her lap and not her impressive bust.

"Not very modest are ye? Ah, we can fix that later."

Nergigante gave an offended huff at the statement. She was used to being naked. No Monster in existence wore actual clothing like humans did.

"Speaking of which, what's the reason for visiting? I never see you anywhere other than the forge."

Eclipsen said. The Smithy have a shrug before answering, though his gaze was not lost on the schematics that rested on the end of the bed.

"I came to let ye' know that yer Rathalos Braces are ready. I also wanted to talk to miss Elder Dragon here."

He said, gesturing to Nergigante. Said Elder Dragon responded with a cold look. The Head Smith merely leaned forward a bit, his hazel eyes locking firmly with Nergigante's yellow ones.

"The Commander mentioned that ye' would be accompanyin' our Hunter here. Wanted to ask if ye' wanted armor. Or clothes, at least."

Nergigante's cold stare quickly morphed into a snarl. She would not stoop so low as to wear the corpses of her fellow Monsters. Such would be a grave crime and a disgusting thing for a Monster to commit.

The Head Smith maintained his hard look, making Eclipsen glance between them with a little more nervousness than usual. He was not in the mood to stop Nergigante if she decided to try and gut the Head Smith. All things considered the Head Smith would have an easy time handling her anyway, but some risks shouldn't be taken.

"Lemme be clear here. Ye' won't wear any other Monster armor. We still have the materials from yer' corpse to use. Ye'd be wearin' yer' own skin."

Nergigante's snarl softened to a scowl. It was still a disgusting thought to wear armor made from a Monster, but to wear her own scaly armor was much less repulsive. It wouldn't bring her any closer to what she used to be, but it was as close as she was going to get.

Nergigante allowed herself a small sigh through the nose. Eclipsen took another pull from his cigar, allowing the smoke to flow out of his nose instead of his mouth.

"So, what ye' say?"

The Smith asked, his gaze still not deviating from Nergigante's own. The Elder Dragon allowed her eyes to drift downward for a moment.

"It's alright if ye' need time to decide. Believe me, I know yer' not comfortable with anythin' to do with wearin' armor made of yer' fellow Monsters."

Nergigante looked back upward, meeting the Head Smith's stare once more. She then realised that she did not look deep enough into the older man's eyes. In them she saw a great sense of understanding. The Smith somehow knew just how uncomfortable she was in human skin, perhaps because he felt the same way in monster armor.

A silence fell as Nergigante gave thought to the idea. It lasted for a while, with Eclipsen taking a few puffs of his cigar while the Head Smith eyed her with a mix of curiosity and patience.

Nergigante released another sigh. She could hold her own against any monster, easily. The loss of most of her body mass and scales made her more aware of her agility. Even walking around in her new form was like weightlessness.

She was confident that she could handle any monster with fair ease, but her instincts told her otherwise. Her now meager scales made her prone to serious damage and the loss of most of her claws made her even less effective at inflicting harm on her prey.

Looking at it from a new perspective revealed to Nergigante just how much of a disadvantage she was at. Any Teostra or Kushala Daora could seriously harm or even kill her in her new body, with relative ease on their part.

She needed the armor that the Head Smith offered, despite how much she loathed to admit it. Her pride was still there, waiting for a chance to heal its wounds.

Nergigante looked up at the Head Smith, who had kept his eyes on her despite her silence.

She gave a slow nod, which the Head Smith returned quietly.

"Then it's settled. We need to head to the forge to get ye' outfitted. But before that, I'm a wee bit interested in what the Hunter here's got cookin' up."

He said before he redirected his gaze towards Eclipsen. The Hunter proceeded to take another drag of the cigar before snuffing it out in the ash bowl.

"Take a look."

He said as he gestured with his free hand. The Smithy gave a grin as he reached forward and lifted the drawing board from the bed. Sundancer leapt up onto the bed as he did so, taking the opportunity to sit close to Nergigante.

Oddly, she seemed to openly accept the action as she reached forward and began to comb her clawed fingers through the Palico's fur. Sundancer began to purr as she did so, slightly leaning into the touch.

The Head Smith lifted his leg onto his knee and set the board on his lap. He looked intently at the schematics, shifting between the three completed pages of plans. His interest visibly grew as he looked at the papers, with Eclipsen noticing the glint in the older man's eyes grow with time.

After a few minutes of looking through the blueprints, the Head Smith set down the third page and leaned back into the chair.

"I see... Who did ya' have in mind when ye' made this beauty?"

The Smith asked with a smile as he handed the drawing board back to Eclipsen. The Hunter took the board with his free hand before letting it rest in his lap.

"I designed it for her, actually. I doubt she would be comfortable with any other weapon right?"

Eclipsen said with a gesture towards Nergigante. The Elder Dragon raised an eyebrow before leaning over slightly in order to see what was on the papers. Eclipsen lifted the drawing board once more, giving it to Nergigante.

Sundancer moved slightly as Nergigante took the board with one hand, looking at the blueprints. She looked deeply at them, making both Eclipsen and the Head Smith shift their positions. It was their chance to see just how intelligent Elder Dragons could be.

Nergigante on the other hand was fascinated by the drawings. She could tell easily that it was a human made weapon, and she could somehow even read some of the words describing how it worked. The various numbers and measurements were harder to understand, as she didn't have a reference for how short or long the numbers were physically.

As she looked, it all seemed to click into place. The weapon was a pair of twin bladed claws that would retract and extend upon the command of the wielder. They also doubled as gauntlets in order to cover the entirety of the arm. She looked deeply at the schematics, realizing just how far this Hunter was going for her.

Something warm crept it's way into her chest, like swallowing a piece of warm meat or liquid.

To think, this Hunter who had saved her from death and shared the guilt he felt doing what she considered unforgivable was also giving her the chance at a life among the humans she despised, or used to anyway. He had even gone so far as to design a human weapon specifically for her, so she could regain the claw length and combat efficiency she had lost.

She altered her gaze, instead looking up at Eclipsen with watery eyes. She knew just how close she was to letting loose the tears, but she didn't care. She couldn't convey the level of gratitude she felt, but she could at least tell the Hunter that she was grateful.

So, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Eclipsen, squeezing hard in the process. Eclipsen gasped and then wheezed as surprise took the place of the oxygen that was being pressed out of his lungs. She only squeezed harder as Eclipsen lifted a somewhat mobile arm and patted her own bicep in both surrender and to tell her that she was welcome.

The Head Smith leaned back and let out a loud belly laugh at the scene, with the rumors around the two being fairly close finally being confirmed. Sundancer smiled as he gathered both the drawing board and the papers from their landing place on the bed and moved them to a safer location.

Eclipsen tapped Nergigante's arm a few more times as he tried to pull in some air to his desperate lungs. She only rocked back in forth with him in her arms, in the process squeezing a little harder.

"Hahah! I think the lass likes ya!"


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everyone! Sorry about the delay for this chapter. It was a mixture of being caught up on other projects and temporarily losing interest that kept me from finishing this one.

The Megaevolved Pony: I'm glad you like it so much! I'm honestly baffled I've managed to draw in such a large crowd. I hope you guys stick with me.

Luine Mercury LWG: Ship it like FedEx my friend. However, there are many routes one could take...

RoseSeraph: Ah, the joy of writing wholesome dialogue and someone enjoying it. I'm glad you like this chapter. It was a bit hard to write the suspense of Nergigante teasing Sundancer.

Thejkshadow: Hey, gotta have some obstacles for the hero right? Plus I got my ass kicked by Nergy too and I've been playing since Tri. It's all about how you handle a monster most of the time.

Onward with the Story!

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"Alright then! I'll meet ye' at the forge."

The Head Smith said loudly as he walked out the door, the schematics for Nergigante's new weapon held tightly and securely under his uninjured arm.

Eclipsen watched intently as the Head Smith walked down the stairs towards the Workshop. The Hunter was still somewhat attached to the creation, despite having made it for someone else. But the Head Smith was a good man, alleviating any fears that it would be damaged or stolen.

Nergigante had refused to fully give up her hold on the Hunter, with her right hand holding firmly onto Eclipsen's left arm. Her grip was tight, yet her claws were noticeably held back from poking or stabbing the Hunter. Meanwhile, her head rested gently on Eclipsen's shoulder, her horns being just long enough to graze his long white hair when she moved.

Eclipsen let out a sigh as the Head Smith continued his trek towards the Workshop. He had agreed to let the older man take the schematics so he could start forging it as quickly as possible, along with agreeing to drag the Elder Dragon to the Workshop for proper measurements. Nergigante had visibly stiffened upon mentioning anything as personal as measurements, but both men had assured her that the Armory Lass would take care of it instead of another of the opposite gender.

But Eclipsen first had to pry the clingy Elder Dragon off so both of them could clothe themselves. The Hunter was fairly sure that he wanted to avoid the PR nightmare that would be allowing Nergigante to walk about Astera nude.

Hether groaned slightly from the floor.

-Transition-

Eclipsen held almost deathly still as Nergigante pulled the string to his Odogaron chestpiece, tightening the side that he had failed to adjust thanks to his injuries. He still had a fair few broken bones, even though the daily Mega Potions were speeding up the healing process. Unfortunately, today was the one day that he was in more pain than usual.

Nergigante gave another tug before lifting her yellow eyes to meet Eclipsen's in order to check that she had tightened them way he wanted them. The Hunter gave a solid nod, making the Elder Dragon huff as she let go of the white string. She had never considered the possibility of having to help the Hunter put on his gear. The thought of human armor still disgusted her, but the one wearing it made the task more bearable.

Eclipsen took a moment to pat down his armor before nodding. The armor was situated perfectly on him, despite the help he needed to get into it. In his younger days, he would've considered it embarrassing to not be able to put on his armor without help, but age had brought down that youthful arrogance. Now he was just happy that he could have someone else buckle a clasp or tie a leather string without having to worry about it coming loose later thanks to human limitation.

Sundancer sat quietly on the bed in what Nergigante could only consider an adorable manner. She swore she could see the Palico twitch his ear from time to time. Sundancer was still missing his armor, but it seemed that he wasn't worried about retrieving it from wherever it had gone.

Eclipsen rolled his sore shoulder for a moment before walking around the bed, staring at the hungover Handler who still resided on the floor. She had adjusted her position once more, with her forehead pressed onto the cool wooden floorboards. The rest of her limbs were splayed out across the floor like someone who was trying to do a cartwheel and failing horribly at it.

The Hunter took a casual seat on the edge of the bed and rested his arms on his knees. Nergigante watched curiously as Eclipsen leaned forward in his sitting position.

"Hether? You feeling any better?"

The only response he received was a low groan. The super enchanced antidote was still clutched firmly in her left hand, the blue liquid not having a drop missing from it. Eclipsen sighed before continuing.

"Drink the Antidote, and if I find you here when I come back tonight, I will dunk you in cold water."

This time, the Handler responded with a long, drawn out and desperate 'noooo'. The feeling the exchange gave off suggested that this happened a lot more than Eclipsen preferred. His tone was that of an annoyed father who was tired of pulling porcupine quills from his children's hands only to repeat the process the next day.

Eclipsen stood up from the bed and moved back over to Nergigante, who was still processing the situation she had watched unfold.

"You ready to go?"

Nergigante shook the thoughts from her head before nodding. Sundancer promptly jumped up from the bed and leapt off it, landing perfectly next to the Elder Dragon's ankle. Eclipsen nodded in response as he took a step forward and opened the door, allowing the two to go before him. Sundancer practically sprinted out of the door, followed by a much more composed Nergigante.

The day was bright and Astera was lively with the sounds of people talking, the cooking of food and the stacking of wooden crates. The footsteps of the trio added to the noise as they made their way to the Smithy, the rattling of Eclipsen's armor giving another layer to the sounds.

Nergigante gazed about Astera like a child in a candy shop, but more out of curiosity than the desire to have a snack. The feeling of the human settlement had changed from the casual celebration of night time. Instead, it had been replaced with the collective will to work and do something productive. It fascinated Nergigante. How these humans could band together to make such a shared feeling of productivity was an almost alien concept to her. In the wild, it was to each their own and alliances were rarely formed, and even then they were shaky alliances at best.

Eclipsen maintained a friendly grin as they passed by the Sisterly Fourth, who watched Nergigante's widening pupils as she walked by. Sundancer had already run off to the Canteen, probably to grab a bite to eat before joining the other two at the Smithy.

Nergigante once again had her mind blown as she turned her head towards the engineering marvel that was the chain operated elevator that was built into Astera. She watched as a group of three Fourth Fleet workers held a stack of crates steady while they rode the elevator down to the Tradeyard. The three gave friendly waves as they passed, aimed more at Eclipsen than to Nergigante as she was too intrigued to respond to the gesture.

Eclipsen gently tapped Nergigante on the shoulder, drawing her attention away from the various sights and sounds of Astera. He gestured towards the Workshop with his head before restarting the walk towards their destination. The entire movement came off as a friendly reminder rather than an annoyed one, something that Nergigante was also curious of. How did these humans have such a complex shared language? How did it come so easily to her?

She quickly shook the questions from her head before following, having to speed up her pace for a moment in order to reclaim her place at Eclipsen's side. The heat of the Workshop hit the Elder Dragon like a wave of water, causing her instincts to kick in and fan her wings out to ward off the heated air. Eclipsen suppressed a chuckle at the sight as he continued his walk onto the Smithy.

The Head Smith sat in his usual spot behind the conveyor belt, a confident and prideful smile on his face. The two Young Blacksmiths behind him hammered away at another set of materials that were visibly different from the ones from the previous days. The Head Smith offered an energetic lifting of his uninjured arm as greeting.

"Oi! Ye' made it!"

The Head Smith called, his voice dripping with anticipation. He didn't get to forge a unique set of armor for an Elder Dragon every day, after all. The Hunter's smile widened a bit as the younger blacksmiths stopped for a moment to look behind them, beholding as Nergigante entered the Smithy.

"Don't know why I wouldn't."

Eclipsen said with some extra feeling as he walked towards the conveyor belt. Nergigante gazed about the Workshop wearily, noticing that the floor was grated as she walked. It was a strange place to her, as the atmosphere sang of sweat and hard work while the heat made it somewhat uncomfortable to her now less heat resistant skin.

The Head Smith let out a barking laugh before gesturing for Nergigante to come farther inside. The two young blacksmiths quickly went back to hammering the materials. If it was something really important, the Head Smith would tell them.

"Aye, fair point Fiver. C'mon lass, none 'o the equipment's gonna bite 'ya."

The older blacksmith said as he responded to the Hunter's comment and beckoned her further inside at the same time. Nergigante glanced around, taking a few steps farther into the Workshop. It was a very different environment from the normally hot places she visited. While places like the lava filled areas of the Elder's Recess were unwelcoming with their heat, this place was like the flamed themselves were as friendly as the Head Smith.

Nergigante finally allowed herself to walk forward freely as the Head Smith lifted a small stand from the other side of the conveyor belt. On it rested two gauntlets bearing the color and style of a Rathalos. The older man them waved over another person in the Workshop; A stern looking woman who was polishing the blade of a sword.

"Fæna, c'mon and let's see what we can make for our Elder Dragon over here."

The Head Smith said as he lifted a part of the conveyor belt and stepped out from behind it. Eclipsen looked at the gauntlets for a moment before withdrawing a small bag and handing it to the older man. The Head Smith jingled the back for a moment before nodding respectfully and hooking the bag to his belt.

Meanwhile the woman stepped out from behind her own counter, still polishing the blade in her hands with a damp looking cloth. Nergigante met the woman's steely blue eyes with her own, fearless yellow orbs. The two women held their staring contest for a moment, with Nergigante turning to look at the woman fully as she finished polishing the blade and set it on the counter.

Nergigante found something that she liked in the woman's gaze. It was as if the woman shared her strong spirit, and Nergigante felt as if she could also understand her as well. The woman finally placed the cloth down on her counter before stepping forward, her eyes scanning Nergigante's body before meeting her gaze once more.

Eclipsen and the Head Smith watched with interest as the two ladies continued their interaction, with Eclipsen lifting one of the Rathalos gauntlets and slipping it onto his bare arm. The Hunter leaned against the conveyor belt as he did so, giving him a front row view of the two as they seemingly faced off. The Head Smith retained his happy smile, as he knew the woman named Fæna well enough to understand that it was her own form of communication.

Fæna crossed her arms as she looked into Nergigante's face. She let out a breath as she seemingly accepted what she was looking at.

"Elder Dragon, huh? Should be easy enough. What do you want? Light? Heavy? Medium?"

"The lass can't speak, Fæna."

"Hm. Nergigante, right?"

Fæna questioned as she glanced over at Eclipsen. The Hunter nodded somewhat absentmindedly as he twisted a piece of the gauntlet he had on, tightening it onto his forearm. The Head Smith maintained his smile, through a hint of another emotion had creeped into it. Nergigante continued to glare at Fæna, who disregarded the look with ease.

"I'll go with heavy then. Come on, let's get you measured."

Fæna said as she turned and walked towards the door on the left side of the Workshop. The fitting rooms were actually built into the small mountain Astera had been built around, which rested behind the Workshop and near the small lookout. Nergigante glanced over at the Head Smith who offered an apologetic smile in return.

"Please don't take it personally Lass. She can be bit rough 'round the edges, but she's gifted in her craft. Go ahead, she won't hurt 'ya."

Nergigante levelled a small look that the old Smith couldn't decipher before following Fæna slowly out of the Workshop. The Armory Lass was fairly patient with the Elder Dragon as she walked slowly towards the Smithy exit.

As the two women finally left the warm forging area, the Head Smith slipped back into his place behind the conveyor belt. Eclipsen was busy fitting the other gauntlet into his arm, fiddling with the Slinger that was built into it.

"How does it fit?"

The older man asked as he picked up a full blade from the conveyor belt and began to sharpen it on the grindstone. Eclipsen quickly adjusted a few things with both gauntlets before nodding to himself.

"Perfectly, as always."

"Aye. So what do 'ye have planned now that the Lass is occupied?"

"I don't really have many choices. I doubt they'd let me go on a hunt, so I guess I'll just stick around here for a while."

"Fine by me lad. Maybe 'ye can help one of the boys with some of the more intricate things. Etching and carving ain't our forte."

Eclipsen answered that comment with a small nod and chuckle. They didn't have time for intricacies like etchings on armor and weapons around Astera, as every weapon or piece of gear was more similar to mandatory military wear. It was meant for reliability and durability, not fanciness and pomp. But there were still some hunters who wanted an etching on their Insect Glaive handle or the front of their shield.

And plus, the Head Smith and his apprentice blacksmiths weren't exactly skilled with etching patterns onto a material. They were more familiar with forging, tempering and strengthening weapons. They lacked the patience and precision that etching normally called for. Eclipsen had tried to teach one of the apprentice blacksmiths to etch, but after a few hours their only progress had been a rough trace.

"I suppose I could. Anybody actually want any etchings lately?"

Eclipsen asked as he pushed off the conveyor belt and turned to the Head Smith. The older blacksmith set the sharpened blade he had been working on back down onto the conveyor belt before picking up another one.

"Aye. Little lad named Michael wanted one for his bowgun. Something about always wanting an eagle on the barrel."

Eclipsen nodded. Bowguns were one of the few weapons that could have etchings on almost all of its parts without decreasing the integrity of the weapon overall. Of course, Eclipsen didn't mind etching a weapon for someone. He had to etch his own weapons back in the Old World, and he somewhat missed the feeling of spending time on an etch and seeing it come out exactly the way he wanted it.

"Next time he stops by let him know that I'm open to helping him out."

"I will. Thanks Fiver."

"Anytime."

Eclipsen responded with a respectful nod before turning and moving towards the large entrance to the Workshop. He flexed his hands in the gauntlets as he walked, gently adjusting the one on his left arm so that it didn't irritate his still sore and broken bones. The Hunter came to a stop as he exited the Smithy, feeling the cooler air of Astera hit his face as he stepped out.

He stood quietly for a minute, looking up and watching as the clouds in the sky drifted quickly towards the Ancient Forest. He wondered if that hunting party had managed to slay the Azure Rathalos yet. It was likely, as their numbers were more than enough to overwhelm the poor creature.

Eclipsen ignored the pang of guilt that hit him. The Monster had most likely just been minding its own business, but many needed the materials for armor or weapons. It was simply the way hunters did things, and it was hypocritical to blame them for what they did.

"Hey partner!"

Eclipsen's eye widened. It was not the voice of the Handler, who he often heard the phrase from. Instead, it was a more familiar voice. The Hunter turned, watching as a man with black hair and Seregios armor walked towards him.

"Richard?"

Eclipsen asked in disbelief. The man wore a warm smile as he stretched out his arms, allowing the sun's light to reflect off his golden armor and send a glare back into the sky.

"Who else would it be? Long time, no see, right?"

Eclipsen practically leapt for joy as Richard extended his arm, allowing the fellow Hunter's own forearm to smack into it with all the emotion that Eclipsen was feeling. Richard and Eclipsen then pulled each other into a firm and brotherly hug, with Richard patting Eclipsen on the back lightly.

They kept the hug for a few moments before the two separated, with each wearing a beaming smile. Eclipsen's smile was full of happiness and the fuzzy feeling you get when an old family member visits. Richard's was full of relief that his old friend was okay.

"How have you been? Where are the others?"

Eclipsen asked as Richard placed his hands on his hips. His Seregios armor had been recently polished, as it had that glassy sheen that polished items normally had.

"We've been fine. They're down at the docks getting our stuff unloaded. We had to hitch a ride on that... Argosy, was it?"

"That is what it's called, yes."

Richard offered a small chuckle in response to Eclipsen's quick answer. The black haired man looked over the rope railing towards the Tradeyard, watching as a few sailors stacked some crates and delivered things to the stockpile.

"The Captain wasn't very happy when we delayed his departure. We needed a quick way here and that ship is the only one going to and from the Old World."

Richard stated as Eclipsen joined him at the railing. The white haired Hunter allowed his hand to rest on the wooden stake that held a section of the rope railing up. He saw a person in full Ceadeus armor set a crate down next to the Elder Melder, who gave a thankful nod in return.

"Nina came with you?"

Eclipsen asked as he watched the person continue to help a few people with their own crates. Richard nodded, his vibrant blue eyed being drawn to the person as well.

"Yeah. It took some persuading, but she was eager to see you."

There was a silence as the two watched the bustle of the Tradeyard. The Argosy Captain was directions some of the sailors around, his posture radiating confidence and experience. Another hunter dressed in Diablos armor walked across the Tradeyard before ascending the stairs in from of the Council Table where the Commander was standing.

"Angela's already talking to the Commander. That was quick."

Eclipsen muttered that last comment. The woman named Angela was a very hotheaded hunter, but she was also the most professional person of his old four person team. She normally put off Guild affairs like paperwork and negotiations, but apparently she was taking the initiative. Richard nodded in response to Eclipsen's comment, having heard even the last part of the sentence.

The two allowed the silence to pierce the atmosphere. They hadn't spoken since Eclipsen left the Old World, and Richard was most likely waiting for all four of their old team to be together before they began to catch up on things. Richard looked about Astera with curiosity, watching as a few people ride the chain elevator.

"This place is nice. I like the way it's built."

Richard stated as he stepped away from the railing and looked upwards towards the Gathering Hub. Eclipsen did the same, but remained near the railing so his hand could rest comfortably where it was.

"Yes. I was starstruck when I first saw it."

Richard answered with a small laugh. They stayed silent for a second before Richard seemed to remember something.

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot to ask you if you still need help with that Elder Dragon."

Eclipsen proceeded to freeze.

This was going to be a very long story.


	20. Chapter 20

Hey there everyone! Sorry for the wait. I also want to say that now that they have added the option to add those line dividers on the Fanfiction app, I'm going to start using those instead of the Xs I use to sperate these sections. Transitions will be the same though.

Ceoko: I'm glad you like it! Here's that chapter you asked for. Merry Christmas... Wait it's not Christmas anymore is it?

UnkownSoul: Long and fun! Especially the part where broken bones happened.

Luine Mercury LWG: Perhaps. Though it is kind of hard not to become something more than friends when you've worked together for years.

ShadowfireAngel: That would be a very appropriate reaction if one hates monsters. I can agree that realism is required, but at the same time you also have to take into account that some are more used to the game and it's mechanics rather than things being more realistic. I don't mind reviews like the one you're responding to, because I had the same thought while I was writing the fight between Nergigante and Eclipsen.

Guest: If I had the chance to direct an animated series based off this, I would probably have a joy induced heart attack. That would be an awesome opportunity.

Nightshift the Dragon Shifter: And your wish is granted! And I'm glad you're enjoying it.

And with the reviews responded to, Onwards with the Story!

* * *

"Is this place always so lively?"

Richard asked as he followed his old partner towards the Canteen. After a long sea voyage that didn't involve alcohol, there was little else to do but relax and get horribly drunk. Eclipsen shrugged a bit as they climbed up the first set of wooden stairs.

"Astera has always been about hard work."

Eclipsen replied to Richard's question as he leaned to the right a bit and spied through the window of his Private Quarters. It didn't seem like Hether was up yet, and that promise of cold water on a hangover was becoming more appealing as each hour passed.

"That's vague."

Richard said, looking over the railing of the wooden walkway. Eclipsen spared a slight smile at the comment.

"There isn't a better way to describe it. Most of us here in Astera are usually working hard to keep things running. We can't afford to let something break down or fail because most of the time we don't have a spare to use."

Eclipsen said as they reached the second set of stairs just before the gateway to the Private Quarters. There wasn't a lie anywhere in the sentence, as Astera had only finished construction during the last Elder Crossing, which was a little over eleven years before Eclipsen had arrived. There was little time to build spares of parts or contraptions due to the constant changing of the New World. It was sporadic and unpredictable sure, but one was hard pressed trying to find another job that made them feel appreciated.

Richard gazed out over the Tradeyard once more, finding that he quite enjoyed the atmosphere. Astera was like one huge community, and everyone was an important cog in the machine. Yet, at the same time, there was a sense of kinship and duty that everyone shared, with no person going unnoticed. It brought at smile to Richard's face knowing that his old hunting buddy had found a place where he could live comfortably.

Eclipsen smiled as he walked up the final set of stairs into the Canteen, with the smell of freshly cooked food and simmering stew wafting into his face. It was always nice to smell the various foods being fried, baked or boiled in the Canteen, along with the occasional heavy, heavy beer. Eclipsen paused as Richard came to a halt, the Seregios armoured hunter looking up at the ingredients hung out to dry on the man-made leaf roof.

"Welcome to the Canteen. Feel free to look at the menu or peruse our fine wines."

Eclipsen said sarcastically as he bowed like a waiter, imitating the iconic silver platter on one hand. But instead of the laugh that Eclipsen expected, Richard looked at him with a faint hope in his eyes and a twinkle that the white haired Hunter recognized all too well.

"Do they really have wine?"

"Unfortunately, no. We usually get shipments of liquors and wines from the Argosy. All we have here is beer, and stronger beer."

Richard proceeded to deflate at the response, while Eclipsen let out a silent relieved sigh. Richard was originally from a small family of nobles, and if there was anything he inherited from his rich family, it was the ability to guzzle wine like it was water. And may the Sapphire Star save them if Richard decided to go on a wine binge, as he could get incredibly rowdy when he was drunk on wine.

"Well, now that you've seen the Canteen, you want to grab something to eat?"

-Transition-

"I don't think I need to say it, but welcome to the New World."

The Commander said as the middle aged woman in Old World Diablos armor looked down at the map of the New World on the Council Table. Her vermillion hair fell like a lava-fall down the pauldrons of her armor, and a pair of piercing emerald eyes accompanied her overall striking look. Another piece of Old World gear sat on her back; a Diablos Gunlance that had been heavily modified. Instead of the normal single spike most Gunlances had, it bore two spikes that imitiated a Diablos' horns almost uncannily well.

"Well, I'm just satisfied that you saw fit to let us stay here. We didn't exactly sign up for the Fifth Fleet like Eclipsen did."

She said with an appreciative smile as she marveled at the map of the New World. The Commander spared himself a smirk at the Old World hunter's amazement. He had been just as surprised at the amount of undiscovered land when he first arrived in the New World, and they were still finding out more every day.

"We don't turn down help here in Astera. Feel free to help out on any quests you find interesting. We might call on you to assist on more dangerous missions, but other than that, feel free to enjoy Astera for a while."

The Field Team Leader said with a smile. The Commander nodded in agreement, which made the woman smile and offer her hand. The Commander didn't hesitate in taking the offered limb and shaking it with a sense of purpose, something that was common around Astera. As the woman let go of the brief interaction, she offered an apologetic look.

"As much as I'd like to hunt a new monster, I need to meet up with the rest of out team soon. We received word that Eclipsen was having trouble with a new species of Elder Dragon and we hitched a ride so we could offer help."

The Commander grimaced a little before glancing over at the Field Team Leader. The young man was practically sweating as the woman looked between them, curiosity in her eyes. A tense silence fell upon the Council Table despite the fact that only the woman, the Field Team Leader, the Huntsman and the Commander were present.

"Something wrong?"

The woman asked, one of her vermillion eyebrows raising in curiosity and most likely mounting suspicion. The Commander's experience with military information quickly kicked in and the best course of action in his opinion revealed itself.

"It would probably be best for your partner to explain the situation. He should be near the Smithy or the Canteen."

The woman gave the Commander a skeptical look before giving a shrug. As much as the Commander didn't like throwing his best Hunter under the proverbial Diablos, explaining everything here and now would cause problems and not to mention take ages. She's that the Commander didn't have.

"Fair enough. Knowing Eclipsen, it's either stupid, strange or a mixture of the two. If I had any money, I would bet on the latter."

The woman said with a nonchalant tone. The Commander smiled softly in relief while the Field Team Leader visibly relaxed. It was good that the woman had enough trust in Eclipsen to assume that it was something relatively harmless. It would also soften the blow of the truth if it came from Eclipsen rather than some old military Commander who didn't even know her name yet.

"On that note, we never asked for your names."

The Commander said, keeping in line with his chain of thought. The woman nodded before responding.

"My name is Angela. I tend to handle more business related matters. You've already worked with Eclipsen, so it's time you met the rest of our team. I'll see if I can round them all up during the next big mission."

The Commander nodded in response. While Astera had a multitude of backup teams that waited on standby, an elite team of G-Rank hunters willing to go out an risk their lives was a massive advantage. The old military official smiled before offering his hand once more.

"We look forward to working with you."

Angela returned the smile and reached out to do the same with the handshake, giving a firm shake to the interaction.

"Likewise."

-Transition-

"Damn, there's so much food here! And it's freakin' delicious to boot!"

Richard exclaimed after he swallowed a particularly large piece of meat with some rice and gravy slathered on top of it. Eclipsen only chuckled as the Meowscular Chef puffed his chest in pride from the cooking area. The rest of the people around the Canteen also joined in on the slight laugh, offering tiny snickers and chuckles to add to Eclipsen's own.

Eclipsen took a bite of his grilled cheese and bacon sandwich as he watched Richard absolutely destroy the large plate of food in front of him. It reminded Eclipsen of the days all five of their team would get together and practice speed eating so they could consume record amounts before a hunt. Some people called it unhealthy, but the oversurge of energy during a hunt was invaluable.

That made Eclipsen's mind wander back to hunting. As much as he loathed to admit it, a part of him still enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. When he was locked in vicious combat with a monster, that part of him ignited and flared into a roaring flame that lusted for more battle. It was the piece of himself that he hated and appreciated at the same time. It was after all, the part of him the Frenzy Virus influenced and even the part that helped him slay Shagaru Magala itself.

He wasn't the only one to be effected by the Frenzy either. Richard, Angela, even the soft-spoken Nina was infected with the toxic bacteria that they had come into contact with when they were fighting Gore and Shagaru Magala. They all felt the pull of the Virus when they were in the midst of a hunt. It was a burden to all of them. Except for one.

"How is Fabien doing?"

Eclipsen asked before taking a larger bite out of sandwich. It was a drastically smaller meal than he was used to, but it hit the right spot. Richard paused in the middle of his bite before quickly gulping down the mouthful of rice he had packed into his cheeks. After swallowing his bite, Richard set down the fork and larger fork that had been provided for him.

"He's... Getting better. His eyes still aren't looking very good but..."

"Hm. Aren't 'looking' very good?"

Richard paused before he offered a chuckle alongside Eclipsen at the tiny pun that he had made. It was a heavy subject, but any kind of comedy was welcome. Even the lowest and most unimaginative forms became hilarious in dire or saddened moments.

"But he's getting better. He actually came with us, you know. He wanted to see what the Third Fleet could do for him."

"I see... Well, hopefully the Third Fleet Master can work one of their miracles. It still hurts to see him like that..."

"I know. It hurts all of us, but we gotta keep trying, you know?"

Richard placed a gentle hand on Eclipsen shoulder and gave a gentle shake. Eclipsen smiled sadly as he placed his sandwich down onto the wooden plate he had been given. He rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. His appetite had waned, but it would return in time.

He still remembered that fateful day.

-Transition-

 _The sky roared with blackened clouds as the summit of Heaven's Mount, though it was not the only thing roaring in fury._

 _Four Hunters leapt out from behind a large boulder as the furious Shagaru Magala came rocketing down from the sky, it's golden scales cloaked in the purple toxin that it actively used as a weapon. The Elder Dragon screeched as a piercing round impacted it's back left leg before detonating, ripping away parts of it's golden hide._

 _The creature reared before pivoting, leaping directly for the man in Seregios armor who had assaulted it. The man quickly rolled forwards, dodging the attack by a breath as the creature tried to rend his torso from his waist. Another hunter quickly ran to his aid, their dual blades singing of victory and bloodshed as the slashed into the Shagaru Magala's right wing. The creature roared as it used it's wing like a flyswatter, extending the limb and sending the poor hunter flying though the air._

 _The third Hunter roared as they ran swiftly past the hunter in golden armor, their black sword singing in a similar way to the dual blades. But this weapon sang only of death and destruction. The Hunter impacted the Shagaru Magala's face like a meteor, gouging into the monster's eye with reckless and vicious anger. The Elder Dragon reared up on two legs in a wild attempt to dislodge the offender, but the Hunter only rammed the palm of his hand into the pommel of the sword, driving it ever closer to the monster's brain._

 _Another hunter sprinted swiftly at the Magala, driving their Diablos Gunlance into the back right leg of the beast before letting loose a blast from their weapon. The Elder Dragon screamed as it toppled to the floor, landing painfully on one of its wing-arms. The hunter with dual blades returned with a vengeance as the Shagaru Magala writhed on the ground. The hunter slammed his blades into the stomach of the creature while his companion's rained more pain down upon it._

 _But unfortunately for the hunter with dual blades, the creature had been especially angered by their attempt. The Shagaru roared before it lifted itself from the ground, flinging the Hunter with the black sword away and smacking the hunter with the Gunlance across the stomach with it's tail._

 _The creature then turned around and swiped angrily at the hunter with dual blades, striking them square across the face. The claws of the monster tore straight through the helm of the poor hunter, mutilating what lied underneath._

 _The skies weren't the only thing screaming that day._

-Transition-

Eclipsen sighed as he lifted his sandwich from the plate, taking a large bite from the meal. Richard had returned to eating as well, but was currently downing the mug of strong Nulberry cider next to his own food. The white haired Hunter offered a smile as he chewed his sandwich. It was nice to spend time with an old friend, even if it was just feasting.

A silence reigned as they continued to eat, with the chatter of the Canteen and the sound of meat sizzling on the slabs of cooking stone filling the silence with content. The atmosphere quickly wiped away any lingering sadness or melancholy and the anticipation of more of their merry band was turning into excitement. Eclipsen wanted to see them dearly, but he would wait for them instead. He wanted to explain everything before anything had the chance to take place.

Murphy's Law was an absolute bitch.

"Hey, Pard!"

Eclipsen quickly chewed and swallowed the remaining piece of his sandwich, leaving his plate empty. Hether was jogging lightly towards the table, her movements still visibly burdened by the hangover. Richard looked up from his already half eaten steak, rice and gravy, his crystal blue eyes filled with curiosity.

Eclipsen waved to the Handler as she walked towards the table. She sighed as she finally reached it, plopping her book down into the table's solid surface before sitting down heavily onto her claimed seat. The fading bags under her eyes didn't suit her normally happy look and the tiredness in her movements made her overall appearance much different than it normally was.

"Feeling a little better?"

"A little, but I still feel like crap."

Eclipsen chuckled at Hether's response, despite the fact that deep down he was disappointed that he didn't get to slash cold, agonising water on her. It would've been hilarious. But he shoved that thought to the side as one of the Canteen Palicoes placed a mug of what Eclipsen assumed to be something non-alcoholic.

"Hether, you haven't met my Old World partners have you?"

Hether's eyes immediately lit up when the words met her ears. She was familiar with Eclipsen's deeds back in the Old World and she had heard snippets about the team of five he traveled with, but she never expected one of them to show up in Astera. She looked over at Richard with a childlike sparkle in her eyes as the Seregios armored hunter stood from his seat.

Hether also shot up from her seat, offering her hand in the process. Richard smiled as he took her hand and gave it a solid shake. Had her book been slung over her shoulder, her free hand would've been practically strangling the strap.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir. I've only heard bits and pieces about you."

"The pleasure is all mine. Please, just call me Richard. I'd be happy to tell you more."

Richard said with a smile as he sat back down. Hether mirrored the action, her beaming smile now plastered firmly onto her face. Eclipsen grinned at the reaction of his Handler. He was aware that she was probably going to bombard Richard with questions, but that didn't bother either of them.

Hether's gaze faltered slightly as the sound of footsteps grew closer. Eclipsen took a guess as to who it was judging from the heavy sound of the feet and the Handler's confused look.

Then a hand snaked around Richard's shoulder, a blue handkerchief held tightly in it.

"Hey, does this smell like Chloroform to you?"

Richard made a confused face before his head proceeded to fall against the table with a heavy thud. Eclipsen had to bite down a bout of outright laughter at Hether's shocked reaction.

"Woah!"

The Handler said with some disbelief in her voice. Angela smiled wickedly as she sat down next to Richard, slipping the blue handkerchief into the front of her Diablos armor before reaching out to grab a piece of the huge steak that Richard had been eating. Richard's supposedly sleeping body reacted like lightning, reaching out and grabbing Angela's hand like a bear trap.

Richard grinned as he lifted his head from the table, the mischievous glint in his eye reflecting Angela's smile. Angela pulled her hand away from Richard's plate as he promptly let go of her wrist.

"Damn, thought that would actually work this time."

"You know I have a resistance to sleep inducers."

"Hey, I still have to try."

Richard, Angela and Eclipsen shared a chuckle as they went back to what they were doing. Angela settled in her seat as a Palico brought her a mug of something and Richard returned to eating the rest of his steak. Hether still had a dumbfounded look at the interaction she had just watched take place and Eclipsen was smiling at her reaction.

That had to be the closest he had come to genuinely laughing all day. Angela looked around the Canteen with curiosity as the Palico returned with menus for Hether and Angela. The Palico then circled the table and took the wooden plate that Eclipsen had left on the table, with the white haired Hunter giving the Palico a nod and gentle pat on the head as thanks.

"I'm sorry, but do you guys always do stuff like that?"

Hether finally asked. Angela and Richard looked up from what they were doing and spared glances at each other before laughing. Eclipsen lifted a fist to his mouth to hide the slightly louder chuckle that he let out. After the three were done laughing, Angela spoke.

"Oh you have no idea. We've pulled pranks like that on each other since we met. I once put a Demondrug in Eclipsen's-"

"Hey! No! You stop right there!"

Eclipsen quickly intervened. He remembered that prank, and he still wasn't happy about it. But a smile was stuck on his face as he pointed at Angela in warning. Angela only laughed a little bit harder as Richard had trouble swallowing his most recent bite through his laughter. Hether still had a shocked face at her partner's sudden statement as well as the tiny embarrassment blush on his cheeks.

"Come on, it was hilarious and you know it."

Angela teased as she tried to reign in her chuckles. Richard was tapping his fist on his chest to clear the particles of his meal from his throat. Eclipsen's fang like teeth shined as he spouted a mischievous smile.

"Alright, then how about the time we put Brachydios slime on the bottom of your chair?"

"That's different! We still haven't fixed the hole in the ceiling!"

Angela said with an angry tone, contrasting her mile wide smile like a shadow being cast from a light. Richard doubled over on the table, his laughter now beginning to drain his lungs of oxygen. Eclipsen himself was on the verge of devolving into mad laughter, but thankfully he managed to keep his cool. Hether was looking at the three like she was stuck in the middle of a clash between monsters, a look of fear and confusion on her face.

"How is it different? You know exactly what happens when you combine Demondrugs with normal food!"

Eclipsen accused with a weak finger before the chuckles began to overtake him. Indeed, Demondrugs and food did not mix. The result was a night on the toilet more similar to a volcano eruption rather than any sort of healthy bodily process. Angela's red hair met the table as she was overcome by her own rampant giggling.

Hether looked on, her brain failing to process the situation. This not how she expected her first encounter with Eclipsen's teammates to be.

-Transition-

"Sorry... I didn't mean to be late..."

Hether watched as a person dressed in male oriented Ceadeus armor sat meekly down on the empty seat next to Angela. What confused Hether was the fact that the voice of the person was incredibly quiet and female in tone. The Handler shrugged it off and returned to looking for something in her book.

"It's okay Nina, these things happen."

Richard said before he took a drink from his mug. None of them were drinking any kind of alcohol, as they wanted to save the partying for later in the night and after the promised explanation from Eclipsen. The sun was also around an hour away from even coming close to the horizon, which meant they had a long time before they'd be able to have proper fun.

"Especially around Astera. I've had days where I haven't even stepped outside the Tradeyard."

Eclipsen said as he followed in Richard's suit and took a long drink from his mug. There was a nervousness in his chest, but he felt it was somewhat misplaced. He'd known his team for upwards of the thirty years and he had an idea of what their reaction would be. Though he continued to hope it would positive ones.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, I supposed I should start telling you the truth."

The three fellow hunters looked at him with confusion. He wasn't surprised. He had never been a liar, nor one to keep the truth away from someone else. But what had happened in the last few days became painfully real when he was faced with talking about it to old friends. Hether also looked up from her book with the eyes of a Kelbi in the way of a Diablos.

"Should I-"

"Hether, you're more than welcome to stay. You already know what this is about."

Eclipsen answered the question before it managed to finish leaving her mouth. A sparkle of understanding flickered in her eyes before she swiftly closed her book, giving a polite nod as she moved it to the side. Hether had known Eclipsen long enough to recognize the times when he secretly wanted some support.

The three hunters still maintained their puzzled looks, though Richard had some slight context to the situation. He was the one who asked about Nergigante, and Eclipsen's response had been to ask if he was willing to wait for an explanation. Richard leaned forward and set his mug off to the side.

"I assume you all want to know what happened with the recent Elder Dragon problem. Long story short, a new Elder Dragon named Nergigante showed up and began to cause problems. What comes after is a longer story."

The rest of the team then nodded in understanding. Hether looked between Eclipsen and the three with a serious look on her face. It wasn't something that she normally wore, but it was definitely important when she did.

"So, here's what happened."

-Transition-

Nergigante shook herself slightly as she walked back towards the Smithy. The measurements had been slightly uncomfortable, she was far too strong to give in to something so trivial as having a human put a tape measure next to her.

The woman named Fæna walked forward calmly, recording the measurements in a small notepad. Nergigante found herself enjoying the woman's company, as she was quiet and strong willed. She didn't seem to be like the one to be comfortable behind a counter selling and buying things, but she handled it with dignity and more pride than someone other than Nergigante could know.

Nergigante knew something about pride.

The heat of the forge was like a smack to the face once more as she re-entered the Workshop. The Head Smith was working away at an unsharpened blade as Fæna and Nergigante walked in, initially failing to notice their approach.

"Hey boss."

"Aye?"

Nergigante raised an eyebrow. She found the way he said that strange. Such a simple sound in the form of a question made her mind turn a little. These humans had such a complex language, yet she was leaning it like it was rudimentary. Monsters only had roars, body language and some form of mutual understanding to go off, yet these humans managed to take everything in their language and make it simple yet powerful.

Nergigante suspected that she would never truly understand the way humans did things, but certain parts were becoming clearer. The Head Smith's movement quickly drew Nergigante out of her thoughts, with the older man setting the newly sharpened blade down on the strange moving section of the counter he sat behind. Nergigante watched with interest as the blade moved from in front of the man towards the side of the forge.

Fæna handed the Head Smith the notepad, her free hand resting in her hip as she did so. Nergigante directed her attention towards the forge, watching as the molten materials or whatever else was hammered continuously. The process of creating armor from the remains of monsters was still disgusting and vile to her, but she smelled none of the scents that came with human armor or the lingering scents of monsters.

It seemed they were only working on metals in this place.

"Here's her sizes. I'm going to work on her clothes, but this should give you an idea of what to work with."

"Aye. Thanks fer' yer' help Fæna."

"Don't mention it."

Fæna said with more respect than Nergigante expected from the phrase. How she was picking up on these subtle nuances, she didn't know. FÃna quickly turned and moved back toward her counter, giving the Elder Dragon a pat on the shoulder before slipping back behind the booth.

Nergigante glanced about the Workshop for a moment, ignoring the Head Smith's lingering eyes. Since she couldn't smell the scents of other monsters, she felt much more comfortable in this place.

Even though human armor was heavily coated in the smell of their society, the remnants of her brethren were still there. Like tiny, almost inaudible screams for help. Nergigante found staying in a group of hunters or humans wearing armor to be like being suffocated by the hands of the dead, but places like Eclipsen's dwelling and this forge were free of such feelings.

"Oi, Lass."

Nergigante gave a slight glare towards the Head Smith as he lifted a part of the conveyor belt. He made a slight motion with his head, followed by his next words.

"Come meet the boys. They'd love to have some company. Maybe ye' will learn how to forge some metal."

He said with an inviting smile. The two younger blacksmiths continued to work, as if they hadn't heard the words of their mentor. Nergigante found it likely that they in fact did not hear, since the sound of the hammering was deafeningly loud to her monster ears.

She considered it for a moment. She could handle the heat and the sound, but she couldn't handle anything to do with the forging of human armor. Metal was fine, but she couldn't, and would not, participate in the forging of her fellow monsters. Her yellow eyes locked into the Head Smith like a viper preparing to strike, yet the older man refused to yield.

"Ye' don't have anythin' to worry about. We don't forge a lot of monster armor 'round here. We work with mostly metals here. Some others here share yer' stance on our armor."

Nergigante found that statement unlikely and her look said all of it. The Head Smith frowned for the first time she had witnessed and quickly placed the lifted part of the conveyor belt down. His face shifted into one of seriousness, something that she had not seen before. It shocked her slightly, but she wouldn't yield.

The forge seemed to groan as Nergigante let a growl out of her throat. The two blacksmiths behind the Head Smith ignored the sound and kept working. The Elder Dragon heard Fæna shift from her place at the booth, but there was no sound indicating her approach.

The Head Smith leaned forward and put his hands firmly on the edge of the conveyor belt, his eyes flickering with a slight anger. Nergigante did the same, allowing her yellow eyes to bore deep into his dark brown ones and bearing what left of her fangs.

"Listen here, Lass. Ye' need to stop bein' so angry at us for what we're forced to do. Believe me, I've been here fer' far longer than ye' have. Ye' think we can't hear their screams when we work? Ye' think we can't feel them tryin' to claw their way back to freedom? Ye' think we can't feel some sympathy fer' em?"

Nergigante's only response was a growl and through it her feelings spilled forth. She couldn't forgive humans for what they did. They killed, murdered and rampaged their way through everything, and she would never forget what they did. They took pride in it. They took pride in slaughtering and wearing the skin of innocents who had done nothing but live peacefully.

"Yer' wrong, Lass! We regret every minute of it! I used to be hunter. Ye' know why I quit? Because I saw that tiny lad of a monster quiverin' behind his Mama when I was ready to kill 'er in cold blood. And I killed 'em both. I will never forget that. I've been livin' with it fer' damn near fifty years. I regret all of it! I refuse to touch or forge anythin' even remotely close to what that Fiver does! I don't do the forging 'round here, the Lads do!"

The Smith's face had contorted into one of rage and the fire of the Forge seemed to surge along with it. A small sound didn't register in Nergigante's mind. The sound of weeping near the two young Blacksmiths.

"Any lesser man woulda' quit forging right then and there! And yer' damn sure I fuckin' thought about it. But that meant other people, other humans would die by the hands of monsters they weren't prepared for. Ye' may consider that a win fer' your kind, but for us it's a man lost in the process of makin' a livin. Tell me, Lass. Would you let some poor young monster go an' try to gain glory slaying a hunter to had just killed eight other Elder Dragons?"

Nergigante growled. Of course not. She would never let some stupid youngster try and fight a hunter. She would rather kill the hunter herself. If it meant keeping those other monsters safe, then she'd gladly kill a hunter.

"Exactly. Ye' would kill to protect yer' own, so we do the same. We forge through the screams o' pain and despair. Even those two lads back there have heard 'em scream while they work. We forge so other men and women don't leave behind a family to starve. We forge to keep others safe, because we don't have yer' precious scales and claws and teeth that can tear through steel. We're just human."

Nergigante scratched the metal edge of the conveyor belt, her strong yet small claws digging into it with ease. She knew exactly how she felt. Perhaps humans wouldn't have to make the their disgusting armor of they didn't hunt in the first place. It was their own fault for making hunting a core part of society. She let out another growl as the Head Smith sighed.

A hand set itself of her shoulder and Nergigante looked over her shoulder like an angry Deviljho. Her eyes had taken on a slight glow thanks to her frustration and the glow of the forge. Fæna stood quietly, her as gentle as it could be resting hand on Nergigante's shoulder.

"Look, Lass."

Nergigante's angry glare whipped back around to the Head Smith, only to find that he had moved to the side. Then her eyes percieved what her ears had failed to register.

The two young blacksmiths had stopped hammering away at their projects, the heads of their hammers sitting quietly on the floor while they wiped a few tears from their eyes.

Nergigante's gaze immediately began to soften. She hated these humans, but to see two young humans most likely younger than she was crying over the things they had done was jarring. The Head Smith's angry glare had softened into one of slight sadness as the Elder Dragon's eyes looked over at the two apprentices.

She had never thought she would feel regret for hating humans, but at that moment she did. Deep down inside, past all the scales, flesh, anger and hatred, a part of her realized that she had attacked innocent young living creatures for something they could not help. She had not attacked them with claws or teeth, but with the same weapon Fatalis used. Hatred.

"Lass, we understand ye' hate us, but ye' can't keep going on thinkin' every man or woman takes pride in what they do. We work on armor first-hand. We can still hear those poor creatures tryin' to beg fer' mercy. We hear all of it. And it hurts us too."

The Head Smith's last statement wasn't angry or sad, just matter of fact. Fæna let go of Nergigante's shoulder as she moved back to her counter and the Head Smith turned and walked towards the two young blacksmiths. He quickly set his hands on their shoulders and began to lead them away from the forge, their eyes haunted and slightly puffy.

"C'mon Lads. No more forging fer' today."

Nergigante didn't respond to either action. She didn't watch the older man lead the two young ones away. She didn't watch Fæna slip back behind the counter. She only paid attention to the regret that was already tearing it's way through her chest.

Was she the monster?


	21. Notice

Hello everyone, your friendly neighborhood author here.

First, I would like to apologise for the lack of new chapters. I've been drifting away from Monster Hunter and this fic, and it only recently hit me that I've fallen into a ditch in terms of motivation.

I'm going to take a small break. It's not going to be horribly long since I just need time to pull myself back towards Monster Hunter. It won't take more than maybe a month and a half, and even less than that if I find a particular way to motivate myself.

But on the topic of motivation, I'd like to announce my newest project concerning Monster Hunter.

Recently, I've been getting into the Witcher thanks to the new Netflix series and the crossover between the Witcher and Monster Hunter. I've been connecting with Geralt and the Witcher almost on the same level as this Fanfic and our Merry little band.

I want to let Eclipsen, Nergigante and the rest clash with Geralt, and the plans I've already made up for such a crossover are truly massive.

So after my break, I'm going to commit myself to finishing this Arc and continuing on to the Crossover.

Rest assured, I will finish this storyline and after the Crossover, I will continue on to Iceborne.

I just wanted to let you all know that I have plans made for when this Arc has finished and that I haven't given up yet.

Until Next Time!


	22. Chapter 21

Hello everyone! Break is over and I've gotten my motivation back! I also may have grinded my Master Rank until I was at one-hundred and eighty three... Yeah.

Also my apologies for the reupload. I tried to post my completed chapter but it instead decided to put my incomplete draft. I'm also sorry for the wacky science, as I'm not the best when it comes to genetics.

Onward with the Story!

* * *

Quiet gripped the table as the group of Old World hunters processed the information that had just been given.

Richard leaned back a bit in his seat and stared upward in thought. Nina was silent under her helmet and was gently grabbing her armored knees under the table. Angela had a hand on her chin and her emerald eyes were scanning the table.

The explanation had been long and relatively quiet. Richard, Angela and Nina had remained silent throughout the entire talk. Eclipsen had explained most of what had transpired, with Hether jumping in to confirm some things.

Eclipsen had his hands clasped together in front of his face, his crimson eye staring over his armored knuckles. Hether had her book closed on the table and her arms were crossed on top of the pages of the large leather bound tome. A look of worry and anxiety graced her features, her eyebrows tilting downward and her mouth bent into a frown.

Richard let out a sigh and leaned forward, breaking the silence and drawing Eclipsen's crimson eye towards him. Richard stayed quiet for a moment as he sent a look into the empty bottom of his wooden tankard. He then looked up, his sky blue eyes now holding nothing but seriousness, contrasting his playful mood like the sun burned brighter than the moon.

"I'm sorry but, I don't really know how to feel. It's just... This is so strange. The second weirdest thing I can think of is Fatalis armor and that black sword."

He said, a hint of his humor coming back in the second part of his sentence. Angela shared a nod as she rubbed her hand on her face. Eclipsen's crimson eye remained steadfast, his oval shaped pupil only conveying neutrality.

Hether glanced at her partner, and the striking realization that she couldn't read his mood was like the sound of a hammer on metal.

"I have to agree with Rich. I don't want to be biased, since what you've told us suggests that She's not out to hurt anybody. But at the same time..."

Angela said, using the familiar shortened version of Richard's name. Her tone carried doubt and her sentence trailed off, her feelings of being caught between a rock and a hard place clear in her expression.

"We can't just jump into trusting her. She's still part monster, humanoid or not."

Nina finished Angela's words for her, and Hether swore that she saw a glint of turquoise behind the eyes of Nina's Ceadeus helm.

A sound of armor clinking drew Hether's eyes back to Eclipsen, who was lowering his hands down onto the table. A frown graced his features, and it looked like he had suddenly aged. The sense of seriousness and experience that he had fell into while he had recounted his battle with Fatalis had returned.

"I understand. I trust her, wholeheartedly. But I know that trust can be misplaced, so I ask you to keep being suspicious. Please, keep an eye on her in case she does do something to hurt somebody or Astera as a whole."

Hether felt disbelief fill her being. She leaned forward and her mouth moved automatically.

"What? Why do we need to be suspicious of her? You've seen how she acts around Brad, the Head Smith, even the Commander! She doesn't want to hurt anybody."

Hether's pleading was immediately cut off by the piercing gaze that Eclipsen sent her. The look didn't carry any warning or undertones. Instead, Eclipsen's crimson eye all by itself was unsettling for some reason.

"I believe you, but monsters are unpredictable. Always have been, always will be. You can anticipate what a monster will do next, but you can't be surprised when it does something you didn't expect. You can think a monster will turn left and there's a very real chance it could turn right instead."

Hether looked into Eclipsen's eye for a moment and found that there was a softness behind the veil of neutrality. The lesson in the words was clear and Hether nodded in response. To remain suspicious was wise even when you are sure that your allies can be trusted.

A silence fell back onto the table, with Eclipsen looking around at his old team in thought. Richard's eyes were stuck looking at something on the tables surface, while Angela looked at Hether with an unreadable expression. Hether returned the look with one of interest, looking at Angela's emerald eyes with her own amber orbs. No-one knew where Nina was looking, as her helm obscured all of her features.

"I want to set down a ground rule."

Eclipsen's voice broke the silence. The three hunters looked at him immediately, their expressions shifting to ones of patient expectation. Like the look a soldier gives their commanding officer when waiting for orders.

"I ask that we treat her with respect and kindness, regardless of who and what she is. Until she does something to deserve harsher treatment, I expect you to regard her with the same warmth Hether and I have."

The three nodded in understanding, not bothering to word their feelings on the matter. Hether looked around like the sky had turned green. She had expected them to object or at least voice their opinions, but the three simply nodded and went back to thinking.

The sound of footsteps drew the group's attention, with Eclipsen jerking visibly in surprise before looking.

The topic of conversation had arrived. Nergigante looked at the table with curiosity at the newcomers and a second layer of what seemed to be boredom. Eclipsen and Hether lifted themselves from their seats while Richard, Angela and Nina stared at Nergigante with interest.

The Elder Dragon looked at the table quietly. She made no move to approach, which struck Hether as odd. Upon further inspection, the Handler noticed that Nergigante didn't seem to be in the best of moods. Her shoulders were slightly sagging, her tail which was normally suspended a few inches above the ground was now slack and looked to have dragged across the ground and her expression was slightly saddened.

Hether reached out and grasped Nergigante's hand and gently pulled on the limb, drawing the Elder Dragon towards the table. Eclipsen motioned towards the empty seat between Hether and himself, offering the seat to Nergigante freely. She looked downward at the spot for a moment before approaching fully.

"I haven't introduced you to my old friends have I? Come on. We'll get some food too."

Eclipsen said, posture carrying a sense of welcome that had quickly overode the seriousness. Nergigante nodded and moved to sit down, her tail unconsciously moving out of the way for her rear to meet the seat.

"You know, if you'd said she was hot I would have been more open to the idea."

Richard's statement broke the tension like an icicle falling from the edge of a roof, with Eclipsen turning to see his friend with a shit-eating grin. Angela quickly put her hand onto her face and starting giggling. Nina's armor covered body relaxed visibly and she placed her arms on the table once more.

"Dammit, Richard."

Angela said as she smacked the fellow hunter on the arm, barely being able to do so through her laughter. Eclipsen only shook his head with a smile as he waved over a Canteen Palico who delivered menus for the group.

-Transition-

"So how exactly did you four meet? I know Eclipsen fought Fatalis alone, but he only occasionally mentioned you guys."

Hether asked after swallowing a bite of meat. Nergigante barely looked up from her own plate, and continued to scarf down her large steak with somewhat unrefined use of her fork. Richard wiped his mouth with a cloth, cleaning it of the barbeque sauce that found it's way onto his chin despite his care in eating the meal.

"Well, it was a long time ago. We've been working together for what? Almost forty years now? We met before Eclipsen met Sundancer, if that helps any."

Richard said as he wiped his now bare hands with his handkerchief. Angela was busy consuming her salad sprinkled with meat and Eclipsen was listening closely while eating his own ham sandwich. He didn't have that much of an appetite today, for some reason.

Hether looked around at the four hunters for a moment, a flash of confusion and disbelief showing in her eyes.

"How old are you guys?"

"Fifty-two."

Eclipsen said as he placed his sandwich down. Hether looked at him in utter disbelief before Richard answered as well.

"Forty-six, as of last month."

Angela was next to answer, and Hether's surprise only grew.

"Forty-eight. I was born two years before Richard."

Nina spoke next, though her answer was quick and it was obvious that her age was a sort of sore topic for her.

"Fifty."

A moment of quiet passed.

Then Hether stood up like a rocket, her mouth opening and her face only displaying surprise. She accidently bumped Nergigante's plate in the process, drawing an annoyed growl from her.

"HOW?! You all look so young! I'm only twenty-four and I feel old already!"

Eclipsen chuckled and Richard openly laughed at the outburst, with Angela only allowing herself an amused smile. Nina remained silent and continued to slip small potato fries under the chin of her helmet.

Hether looked around, noticing that the entire Canteen had looked at her shouting. She flashed an embarrassed smile as she say down, trying to ignore the soft chuckles from everybody in the area.

"Well, after our fight with Shagaru Magala, we found out the Frenzy Virus in our bodies was doing all sorts of weird stuff to our DNA. You want the long or short explanation?"

Richard asked as he moved his plate to the side. Nergigante eyed the last wing on Richard's plate as he did, and upon receiving a nod from the man, she reached forward and took the last piece.

Hether opened her book and flipped to a fresh page. She pulled her quill off her shirt and dabbed it on the side of the page before looking back at Richard.

"Long story, please."

Richard stared at Hether for a moment before looking over at Eclipsen. His crimson eye glanced at Richard before he lifted his sandwich off his plate.

"She does this often."

He said before taking a large bite. Richard nodded before continuing.

"Well, alright then."

-Transition-

 _"Give it to us straight, Doc. How screwed are we?"_

 _"Not at all. Quite the opposite, actually."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Well, erm... How do I explain it? You are aware that human DNA is double strand, correct?"_

 _"Yeah, what about it?"_

 _"Well, it seems that the Frenzy Virus has bound itself to your DNA. It made a sort of... Extra strand of information on your DNA. It made your DNA triple strand instead of double."_

 _"How the hell is that even possible?"_

 _"We don't rightly know. It seems that your prolonged exposure to the Virus allowed it some wiggle room in your bodies, allowing it to bind to your DNA directly. The third strand on your DNA is actually only compromised of the Frenzy Virus."_

 _"What does that mean for us?"_

 _"Well, it seems that you've only reaped the benefits of the Virus. The aging process in your cells has slowed significantly and it seems that your immune system had become far more powerful. The information in the Frenzy Virus has also greatly increased oxygen content in your blood and seems to give your cells the ability to generate a substance that increases your muscle output."_

 _"I'm not following, doc."_

 _"You've essentially gained a few decades of life and your strength has been permanently augmented."_

 _"Alright, so what's the catch?"_

 _"I'm sorry?"_

 _"There's always a catch. There is no way that there isn't a drawback to this."_

 _"Well..."_

 _"Come on, I said to tell us everything."_

 _"Well, this is just my assumption, but I would say that it's likely that your can no longer have children."_

-Transition-

"Oh wow... That's actually really cool! I mean, I don't know much about Biology, but that seems like a once in a lifetime thing."

Hether said as she finished jotting down that Richard had just explained. The black haired man nodded as Angela finished eating her own meal.

"Oh it is. There's only been three recorded Shagaru Magala, and we just so happened to draw the lucky lottery."

Angela nodded as a Canteen Palico took her plate along with some of the others before walking away. Hether closed her book and tucked away her quill before looking back at the four hunters, her expression turning somewhat somber as she did so.

"I'm sorry you guys can't have kids. That seems like a horrible thing to have happen to you."

She said, some apology and sympathy in her voice. Richard simply shrugged at the statement.

"Eh. I don't know about the rest of us, but it's not really a bother to me. We can always find an apprentice."

Angela, Nina and Eclipsen nodded. They knew that they hadn't ever felt the need to find a loved one and settle down, as Hunting had been their calling since they had started. Even Eclipsen, who deep down no longer found his profession enjoyable like he had before Fatalis, had come to the conclusion that raising a child would be somewhat hindering to his tasks. As well as unfair to the child if he one day didn't return from a hunt.

Nergigante was still quiet and watching the hunters in silence. Eclipsen watched her out of the corner of his eye, his slitted pupil noting even the slightest things that were off about her mannerisms.

"You never explained how you guys met though."

Hether said with a coy smile. Richard chuckled before leaning forward, a twinkle in his sky blue eyes. Angela let out a sigh as Richard began to speak.

"Well then, get cozy because it is quite a story."

-Transition-

 _Richard and Angela sat quietly as the wind whipped by. Storm clouds loomed on the horizon, occasionally joined by a flash of lightning and the sound of distant thunder._

 _"So, when is this guy going to get here?"_

 _"Soon, Rich. We've been waiting for five minutes."_

 _"I know, I know. I'm just excited. It's the guy who killed a Fatalis, for Wyverians sake."_

 _He said as his left leg bounced wildly. He was far more excited than he said he was, partly due to his ADHD and the fact that he was about to meet the equivalent to a Hunter God._

 _Angela rolled her eyes and went back to sharpening the point of her Gunlance. She had been with Richard since they were children, having grown up in the same village and in houses directly next to each other. She helped to keep Richard in check most of the time, but he was getting better with age._

 _"So why exactly did they pick us to hunt down an Amatsu?"_

 _Richard asked as he stopped bouncing his leg and leaned back into his seat. They were both sitting on a log that was carved into a bench, with the piece of makeshift furniture being surprisingly comfortable._

 _"Because we've hunted more than one Kushala Daora. Not to mention that Rusted Kushala that attacked Forkleaf Village."_

 _Angela answered. It was true that they were very much qualified to hunt an Amatsu, as they had hunted a kill count of almost ten Kushala in around two years. It spoke of both how rare Kushala Daora really were and how skilled they were with handling wind based Wyverns._

 _"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But that also begs the question-"_

 _"Why did they ask the famed Eclipsen to help? Because it's smart to hire at least one hunter who is overqualified for the job and one hunter who is underqualified. Teach the newer hunter and the already seasoned ones some new tricks."_

 _Angela answered as she tucked away her whetstone and folded her Gunlance into it's compact form. Richard sent a look of questioning at her before speaking again._

 _"Really? I didn't know we'd be having a fourth for the trip."_

 _Angela sighed theatrically and rolled her eyes before clipping her Gunlance to her back. Richard spared an embarrassed and apologetic look in response._

 _"You really should read more of the Quest description than just what monster we're hunting. Her name is Nina, and she's actually older than us. She just doesn't have experience with Elder Dragons that fly as main defence."_

 _Richard nodded before turning his attention to the storm clouds hanging in the distance. Lighting occasionally flickered across the black mass, and that brought a question to his mind._

 _"Don't Amatsu only make wind storms? Why is there lightning in that storm?"_

 _Before Angela could answer, the sound of heavy footsteps caught the ears of the two before a voice soon joined the noise._

 _"Because the Amatsu isn't maintaining the storm. Those clouds are natural. The Amatsu is just hiding in them."_

 _A sense of dread filled the back of both of their minds as they looked over to see who was approaching._

 _A man dressed in Blademaster Fatalis armor walked towards them, the helmet of his armor missing along with the backplate of the armor that was normally seen on the Blademaster Fatalis set. His ghostly pale hair was a veritable lions mane and was combed back to form a thick waterfall of white locks. His two crimson eyes were like fiery coals in the low light area, and bore slitted pupils._

 _He also had a brown colored sack slung over his shoulder that made metallic clinking noises as it moved._

 _A black sword rested in it's sheath at the back of his waist. It was a simply designed blade, with a black wrapped handle and T shaped guard that made way for a thick obsidian blade that ended in a wicked hook. Runes were etched into the fuller of the blade, and tiny speckles of what looked like glowing red stars were visible in the etchings._

 _Richard relaxed once he realized that the uneasy feeling he was getting was from the Fatalis armor that the man wore. It also marked the man as Eclipsen, the one who had successfully killed a Fatalis._

 _"Really? How often does an Amatsu do that?"_

 _Richard asked as he leant further back into the bench. Angela glanced at her partner before searching her item pouch to make sure everything was in it's chosen place._

 _"Not often. Amatsu normally maintain their own storms, but once in a great while it will stumble across a storm that looks more comfortable to it and it will set up shop."_

 _Eclipsen said as he pulled the brown sack from his shoulder and set it down on the ground. Richard watched as Eclipsen reached into the bag and pulled out a small shield to go with his sword and the helmet to his armor, along with a brown belt that was brimming with pouches._

 _Richard leaned forward and offered his hand, a smile crawling it's way onto his face._

 _"Richard. A pleasure to meet you."_

 _He said, his grim growing as Eclipsen glanced at his hand before returning the gesture._

 _"Eclipsen. I hope this hunt goes well."_

-Transition-

"Well that was anticlimactic."

Hether said with a disappointed look. Richard's proud expression swiftly switched to one of hurt as he placed his hand in his chest in mock offense.

"How dare you?! Such a story is one that begins legends!"

He said with a gasp and ended with a theatrical point of the finger upward. Angela spared a mocking snort and Eclipsen allowed himself a twitch of a smile.

As the group shared a small chuckle, they failed to notice a dark armored person walking towards their table.

It wasn't until the person was standing almost directly behind Nergigante that the Elder Dragon herself noticed. Her spines quickly began to rattle quietly and her instincts told her to react.

She stood up like a spring board, whipping around to look at the person with her sharp fangs bared and a growl in her throat.

The group jumped and turned along with Nergigante, finding a person dressed in a complete set of male Gore Magala armor with a Leumundsbruch Insect Glaive on their back.

The person took a step back and lifted their hands, stopping Nergigante from leaping at them like she had planned. Her claws relaxed and she dropped her attack mode.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

Before things could go back to escalating, Eclipsen reached out and tapped Nergigante on the shoulder. She glanced at him, her yellow orbs distant and uninterested. Eclipsen held back from asking her what was wrong, and decided quickly that he would ask her later.

"Hether, Nergigante, this is Fabien. He's another of our team."

Eclipsen said as he gestured towards Fabien. The man offered a small bow before gazing at the rest of the group. Hether raised an eyebrow before speaking.

"I thought normal teams only had four members."

Eclipsen nodded before answering. Fabien waited patiently, his gaze, despite being hidden behind his helm, centered on Nergigante whose own eyes were lowered towards the ground.

"Normally they do, but at one point Nina was injured and Fabien was the only one able to stand in for her at the time. He eventually became a permanent member of the team."

"Really? What happened?"

Hether asked as she sat back down, her curiosity centering on Nina. The armored woman finished slipping a fry into her helmet before elaborating.

"My leg got twisted one hundred and eighty degrees around when it got caught by a Nakarkos."

The rest of the table flinched remembering the incident, while Hether visibly cringed at the thought. Nina continued after everyone was done reacting.

"The doctors said that the nerves had been almost severed and my bones had been broken so badly that they said it almost earned the use of the word 'shattered'. I was stuck in bed for almost eight months and six more months after that were mostly physical rehabilitation and a steady diet of Potions."

Hether nodded and gave a look of sympathy while Nergigante and Eclipsen slowly sat back down. Fabien circled around the table slowly before taking the vacant seat between Angela and Nina, his Gore Magala helm contrasting well with Nina's Ceadeus helmet.

"I'm sorry. How is your leg now?"

Hether asked out of true concern. She cared for everyone, whether they were strangers or neighbors or even new arrivals to Astera. Nina's helm lowered a bit before she responded.

"It's fully healed now, but the doctors told me to drink a potion when it starts to feel like something's pinching me at the waist."

As the conversation continued, Eclipsen devoted the majority of his attention towards Nergigante. Her gaze was centered on the table and her actions only conveyed mild attention. It began to click with the Hunter that something had taken place while she was at the Workshop.

Eclipsen knew for a fact that nothing could have happened between FÃna and Nergigante, so that only narrowed down the options to-

It hit him then. The Smithy was where they forged armor made of monsters. It was a small amount of armor, but it was armor nonetheless. As the realization sank in, Eclipsen felt the need to reach out to Nergigante. Maybe talking about the situation or a simple hug would suffice?

Eclipsen pondered it for a moment before he came to a decision. He lifted his right hand from the table and moved to place it on Nergigante's shoulder. It would at least draw her attention for the moment.

That's when the alarm horn blared.


	23. Chapter 22

New Chapter inbound! But first we gotta get through the reviews.

Luine Mercury LWG: Let's hope I didn't make it underwhelming!

Hunter Zickafoose: Only time will tell. But nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Demons death: I'm sorry you're having troubles loading the chapters. Honestly after having to reupload my last chapter I've lost a tiny bit of faith in .

Onward with the Story!

* * *

The entirety of Astera seemed to leap awake as the sound of the emergency horn ripped through the calm air. Richard, Angela, Nina and Fabien looked around like the sky was falling, ignoring the loud sound of the alarm.

"What's going on?!"

Angela had to shout over the sound of the loud horn, her eyes briefly catching glimpses of the hunters in the Canteen quickly grabbing their gear and leaping into action. Hether lifted her book off the table faster than she meant to before slinging the strap over her shoulder.

"It's the emergency horn! Somebody fired an emergency flare!

"What does that mean!?"

Richard asked, his hands over his ears to block out the loud horn that was assaulting his senses. Hether glanced upward, noticing that there was a flare hanging just above the Ancient Forest.

"It means that a hunter really needs help with a-"

Hether's explanation was cut off as Eclipsen stood almost to swiftly for Hether to notice and took off, his pace faster than what Hether could even hope to catch up to. She stood from her seat and took a couple steps, reaching out futilely at the back of the quickly disappearing Eclipsen.

"Pard! Wait!"

The rest of the group stood up quickly, with Nergigante strangely responding the most and joining Hether in looking at Eclipsen sprint towards the Workshop. Hether painfully noticed that he didn't have the Black Sword or any kind of armament on him besides the Slinger and his carving knife.

"What's wrong?! I'm sure he can handle it!"

Richard said as he walked over to where Hether and Nergigante were standing, his golden armor glistening a bit in the now star filled sky's light. Hether shot Richard a worried look as the emergency horn started to fade out.

"He's still got broken bones from his last hunt!"

Hether said loudly as the horn completely died down. Richard's eyes widened and the same look of worry dawned on his visage. Angela, Nina and Fabien quickly rounded the table as well upon hearing the words come out of Hether's mouth.

Richard's head snapped to the left as he looked over the Tradeyard. With a quick glance, he noticed that the staircase beside the table led down into the Tradeyard, just a few feet away from where the gate of Astera led into the Ancient Forest. With another quick movement, his blue eyes looked at the sky and registered the dying flare over the Forest.

He looked back at the group and waved his hand as his legs already began carrying him around the brazier and onto the staircase next to the table.

"Come on! We'll cut him off!"

The entire group followed him as they made a mad dash to catch Eclipsen before he could deploy.

-Transition-

A slight, burning pain filled Eclipsen's chest as he leapt down the three steps that led out of the Canteen, ignoring the shout from Hether to stop. He couldn't just deny an S.O.S, let alone an Emergency Flare. Every part of him screamed that he had been sitting around long enough, and that it was time to get back into the action.

As he sprinted past the archway that led into the Private Quarters, he caught a glimpse of Sundancer running towards him with the Black Sword clutched under his arm. The Felyne rounded the corner of the archway like it was trivial before tossing the Black Sword at Eclipsen.

The Hunter caught the Sword as if it was weightless before clipping it onto the back of his waist. He continued his sprint, with Sundancer quickly and easily catching up to his run.

"What's going on?!"

Eclipsen asked as he turned the corner of the walkway and ran past the Workshop. Sundancer shook his head as he followed, his armor clinking thanks to the movement.

"Meow don't know! I'm just as sur-purr-ized as you are!"

The Palico said as he followed his partner down the wooden staircase next to the Smithy. Sundancer was still surprised with how fast Eclipsen could run when he put his mind to it, especially after his infection with the Frenzy Virus. Sundancer glanced and noticed that the Hunter's eye wasn't glowing; a clear sign that the Frenzy Virus hadn't activated yet.

As they descended the stairs, Eclipsen saw as chaos consumed the Tradeyard. Hunters were flooding the large area, all of them wounded and bleeding. Many of the medical experts were calling for First Aid Meds and were tending to the hunters who were severely or even fatally wounded.

Eclipsen glanced and noticed that the Commander and Field Team Leader were questioning a less severely wounded hunter, who looked as if they had been taken by surprise. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Eclipsen immediately headed for the Commander.

"What happened?!"

The Commander jumped slightly as Eclipsen came to an abrupt halt next to him. The Commander looked at his best Hunter with a worried face. It wasn't often that the Commander was concerned, which spoke to Eclipsen on a deep level.

"A Savage Deviljho attacked the hunters tracking the Azure Rathalos."

Eclipsen's single eye regained it's familiar glow and he began to restart his sprint towards the Ancient Forest. The Commander was quick and placed his hand against Eclipsen's chest, locking eyes with the Hunter.

"You're still injured. You remember the last time you fought a Deviljho?"

The Commander asked, his tone more concerned than anything else. Deep in Eclipsen's crimson eye, the Commander saw nothing but rage and determination.

"All due respect sir, but I can't let this go. Look around. You see all the people it's hurt? I'm not going to let it rampage and kill more hunters, let alone innocent monsters and the rest of the damn ecosystem."

Eclipsen's words were filled with a desire for vengeance. And behind that desire was the urge to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. The Commander held the Hunter back for a few seconds, still searching his Crimson eye for anything else. After a few seconds, the older man caved.

"Fine. Go. The Huntsman left a little while ago to try and drive it off."

The Commander said as he removed his hand and used it to point towards the gate leading out of Astera. Eclipsen nodded and took off, the wind from the action blowing a few hairs out of the Field Team Leader's face.

-Transition-

"Dear God..."

Richard muttered as he walked into the Tradeyard. It was an absolute madhouse, with wounded hunters yelling and shouting as their injuries were tended to and medical experts rushing to get to them all. Many of the hunters had what looked like bite wounds and traces of Dragon element danced across their bodies.

Hether watched in dismay as the hunters were desperately healed by those who had the medical skill to do so, along with the more experienced medical professionals guiding those who didn't have the basic medical knowldge that they did. Everyone was trying to keep these hunters from death's door, and Hether's fingers itched to help as well.

"Wait a second! These are all the hunters who departed on an expedition yesterday! They were hunting an Azure Rathalos!"

Hether said as she looked over the crowd of injured hunters. She recognized a few of them, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that the ones she was familiar with weren't hurt too badly.

Nergigante watched in horror as the hunters were taken care of. A strange feeling crawled it's way into her chest as she witnessed a doctor set the broken ankle of a poor hunter, as well as the muffled yell through he cloth that the doctor had given them to help deal with the pain. She couldn't identify the feeling burning in her chest, but it made her... She couldn't quite say what it made her feel like. All she knew was that it was unpleasant.

"These are Savage Deviljho wounds..."

Angela muttered as she joined Richard in looking at the chaos engulfing the Tradeyard. Angela, Hether and Nergigante noticed as Richard reached into the chest plate of his armor and withdrew his silver cross necklace, holding it tight in his hand. Nina and Fabien desperately looked around the Tradeyard, hoping to find Eclipsen's Odogaron armor and Death Stench Bowels in the crowd.

"There!"

Angela shouted as she pointed at the very familiar Eclipsen. He was dashing towards the exit, his eye trailing with crimson light as he moved. Richard turned towards the group, his sky blue eyes filled with seriousness.

"Hether, you need to stay here. Help the wounded. We'll make sure Eclipsen comes back safe."

Richard quickly looked at Nergigante, who returned the look with one that held no emotion, though her body language spoke differently. Her muscles were flexed and her posture spoke of wanting to move.

"Nergigante. Can you fight a Deviljho?"

Nergigante gave a solid nod, the echoes of a snarl crawling their way into her face. She wanted to tear something apart, and her claws itched when she thought about it. Richard nodded before turning and gesturing to follow.

Hether watched as the group quickly gave chase after Eclipsen, with Nergigante following quickly after them.

-Transition-

Eclipsen felt his teeth clench as he sprinted past Area 4 of the Ancient Forest, dodging a wounded hunter as they were carried towards Astera on a cart. He tried to ignore the sight, as the rage boiling in the back of his head was already clouding his judgement.

He didn't want the Frenzy to consume him just yet. He needed to make sure that the hunters still fighting were safe. Then, and only then, he could unleash his fury.

He kept that mantra in his mind as he ran. The area around him whizzed past too quickly for him to register, as he was focused more on the place the Emergency Flare had been fired from. If those hunters, and the Huntsman, were still holding off the Deviljho, then it was all but guaranteed that it was still there.

Savage Deviljho were too ravenous to simply abandon a meal. Whether it was another Deviljho or smaller hunters, the Savage monster would try to kill those hunters and the Huntsman until it was either dead or it had devoured them, and the thought made Eclipsen sick to his stomach.

Eclipsen felt a feral growl rip through his throat, his legs pumping faster and more relentlessly. He reached the field of tall grass that led into Area 1 of the Ancient Forest, and he heard the roar of the Deviljho. Eclipsen felt the pull of madness at the back of his head as he sprinted through the tall grass, barely noticing as he whizzed by a hiding hunter.

He barely heard the shout of the hunter as he emerged from the tall grass. All he could focus on was the figure of the Deviljho as it stomped towards the Huntsman.

-Transition-

The Huntsman grunted as he stepped to the right, narrowly dodging the vicious bite of the Deviljho. He swung his trusty Longsword, carving a long gash into the muscled neck of his opponent. The Deviljho roared as it pivoted, raising it's huge maw before thrusting it downward at the Huntsman.

The old hunter grunted again as he leapt backward, rolling as he landed on the ground. He endured the sharp pain in his side as he moved. The side of his armor was torn open and three large slashes adorned his skin, resulting from his leaping to move another hunter out if the way of the Deviljho's maw.

The Deviljho growled as it tore it's mouth out of the ground, shaking it's teeth of dirt. It's large body made the earth shake as it took a step forward, it's single glowing eyes staring down the Huntsman down like a piece of meat.

The Huntsman made a noise he himself couldn't quite describe as he glanced through the small eyes of his visor. Two of the hunters that had been left to fight the Deviljho were hidden behind a tree and rocks, while the third had been injured and carted towards Astera. He had no idea where the fourth went, but he knew that they had not been eaten by the Deviljho.

The Huntsman gripped his beloved Longsword, holding tightly as he locked eyes with the Deviljho once more. He was prepared to die fighting this monster, and he would be happy knowing that he managed to save lives in the process.

The sound of footsteps barely caught the Huntsman's attention before a blurry figure leapt through the air, a furious shout following as it collided with the side of the Deviljho's head.

The monster recoiled with a pained roar as the figure tore into it's only remaining eye, and it didn't take long for the Huntsman to recognize the armor and white hair of Eclipsen.

The Deviljho swung it's head wildly, trying to dislodge the Hunter to little effect. Eclipsen dug the wicked hook of the Black Sword deeper into the flesh of the Deviljho as he pulled back his fist and rammed it mercilessly into the side of the monster's head.

Eclipsen let out another shout as he continued to pummel the head of the Deviljho, eventually aiming for it's one eye. The Deviljho roared as well before a torrent of Dragon Element came pouring out of it's mouth, unkindly eating away at anything around it's face. Eclipsen growled and covered his face as the Element tried to burn away his exposed skin, before the Deviljho quickly swung it's head and he lost his grip.

He landed hard onto the ground, but Eclipsen managed to roll with the landing and spare himself some extra bruising. The Black Sword was still held tightly in his hand and he heard the screech of Fatalis underneath his own blood rage.

The Huntsman could only watch as Eclipsen and the Deviljho stared each other down, both of them growling like wild animals. Eclipsen's Palico Sundancer raced past the back of the Deviljho unnoticed, running up to the Huntsman with worry in his adorable eyes.

"Meowster Huntsman! Come with me!"

The Huntsman nodded as he sheathed his Longsword and followed the Palico as it back around the Deviljho, somehow managing to avoid it's attention as they ran.

-Transition-

Richard breathed heavily as he stopped at the edge of the area where Eclipsen and the Deviljho were. He looked at the two growling at each other for a second before huffing and leaning over, placing his hands against his knees.

Nergigante stopped next to him, her yellow eyes watching as Eclipsen growled at his opponent. While she was happy that he hadn't been hurt yet, something told her that something was deeply wrong with the Hunter. His eye was glowing far more brightly than usual and his posture was more like that of a raging beast than a human.

But the part of her that was still filled with pride and her monster instincts flared back to life. She wanted to see just how powerful and vicious the Hunter could be. She wanted to see exactly who Eclipsen was in the heat of battle, so she could judge him worthy of her time and affection.

Nergigante brushed away the last thought about affection.

Angela, Nina and Fabien soon arrived as well, each of them breathing just as heavily as Richard, but they weren't as winded as he was. The group watched as Sundancer led the Huntsman around the rear of the Deviljho, keeping the old hunter from being attacked by the monster in the process.

The Huntsman sagged as he joined the group in looking at the two combatants face each other, his hand pressed against his side and his breathing wheezy and somewhat shallow. Fabien reached into his pouch and offered a Potion to the Huntsman, who took it with a gracious nod.

"Thank you."

He said before he turned away to lift his visor and drink the restorative. Richard stood straight as he regained his breath.

"Alright, let's do this."

He said before moving to join the battle. A black scaled hand stopped him before he could continue, and he gave an offended and confused look to Nergigante. Her yellow eyes were still looking at Eclipsen and the Deviljho, which prompted Richard to do the same.

He gave another glance to the situation, noticing that there was an air of confrontation to it. Like Eclipsen and the Deviljho had a score to settle between them.

This was a duel.

-Transition-

Eclipsen found the red film at the edge of his vision irritating. The irritation then bred anger and anger, more fury. He blinked, hoping to clear the redness, only for it to grow more vivid. He tightened his grip on the Black Sword and let out a yell, pushing his legs forward.

The Deviljho roared and returned the gesture in kind, opening and lowering it's mouth in the hopes of simply catching him in it's jaw. Eclipsen's instincts were in full effect as he immediately fell to the ground, sliding across the dirt and swinging his sword upward, creating a gash in the monster's neck.

The Savage variant howled in pain as Eclipsen leapt from his slide, swinging his sword and slicing easily into the ankle of the beast. Blood, black in color and almost dark enough to absorb what little light there was spilt from the wound, hissing as it met and began to eat into the ground.

Eclipsen grunted as the Deviljho swung it's tail at him, the appendage colliding violently with his arms as he attempted to soften the blow. He flew more than a few feet, landing hard on his back and hearing a quiet crack from inside his ribcage. He quickly lifted himself from the ground and instinctively rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding as the Deviljho slammed it's mouth into the patch of dirt he had landed on.

He grunted as the pain of his re-broken rib ripped through his chest. But he lifted himself from the ground anyway; He didn't have time to focus on the pain. Any distraction meant death.

He yelled as he ran forward again, just as the Deviljho ripped it's mouth from the ground. Eclipsen swung the Black Sword as he passed by the ankle of the Deviljho, aiming for the Achilles tendon. The sword cut deeply, but the hook of the sword failed to find it's way around the tendon and only tore a gash into the monster's ankle. The Deviljho roared again and lifted it's leg, almost taking the Hunter with it if he hadn't ripped the sword from the beasts ankle, and slammed it down.

Eclipsen jumped backward, his fury addled mind already putting together fractured predictions of what the Deviljho would try next. The monster released no sound this time as it whipped it's tail at Eclipsen. The Hunter rolled right under the attack before starting to sprint towards the Deviljho's other ankle. The monster reacted quickly and pivoted on it's feet, snapping it's jaw at the Hunter as he ran.

Eclipsen leapt just before the teeth caught his feet, swinging the Black Sword as he flew over the Deviljho's head. The hook of the sword caught the side of the monster's face, pulling the monster along slightly and making it yelp as Eclipsen's momentum came to a halt. Eclipsen growled and scrambled up the other side of the Deviljho's face, digging the claws of his gauntlets into the monster's skin and using the Black Sword as leverage.

The beast roared as the Hunter ripped the Black Sword out of it's skin before slamming the hook down on the top half of it's jaw, clinging onto it's jagged teeth like a key fitting into a lock. Eclipsen pulled with all his enhanced might, forcing the Deviljho to stand upright, or else it's jaw be dislocated or broken entirely.

The monster bit down on the hook of the Black Sword, pulling Eclipsen forward before he ripped the blade back towards himself.

It was a war of strength.

-Transition-

Nergigante watched in a mixture of horror, worry and surprise as Eclipsen wrestled with the jaw of the Deviljho. She had watched her father battle a Deviljho at one point, and both it and her father had come out with life long scars from the clash.

She found herself worrying for Eclipsen the same way she had worried for her father. The darker sides of her mind showed her visions of a badly wounded Eclipsen, along with the same memories of her father in such a state.

And yet the prideful part of her was impressed. She had seen just how powerful a lone Deviljho could be, and this human had the strength to pull open it's jaws. She assumed a Savage Deviljho was even more powerful, which sent her heart fluttering for reasons she couldn't discern.

"Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children..."

Nergigante glanced over at Richard, watching as he recited something in whispers. She watched as he repeated the words, his eyes locked on the battle raging just a few yards away and his hand clutching the silver cross she had seen him hold when they had entered the Tradeyard. Nergigante shook her head and returned her attention to the fight.

-Transition-

Eclipsen roared as he fought for control over the Deviljho's maw, ignoring the sound of the Black Sword creaking and the noise of Fatalis' shrieks in his mind. He felt his muscles swell as the Frenzy Virus worked it's magic and he gave another furious pull. The Deviljho roared and bit down harder onto the Black Sword, catching Eclipsen's crimson eye with it's own.

Then, the Deviljho howled as it thrust it's head downward, pulling the hook of the Black Sword with it.

Eclipsen's mind barely registered the feeling of his feet leaving the head of the monster through the shock before he slammed hard into the ground. The impact shattered his Slinger and he felt a great amount of his bones crack. The anger in his mind immediately dispersed, giving way to the soul crushing agony that followed.

He could hardly draw in breath as he watched the Black Sword clatter to the ground, it's hook now bent wildly out of shape. A few of the Deviljho's teeth landed in the dirt as well, having been ripped from it's maw along with the sword. The red film that had invaded his vision was replaced by black as the Frenzy Virus sputtered out and agony engulfed his being.

His vision began to be consumed by darkness and all he could think about was the need to scream.

-Transition-

Angela made a sound between a gasp and a shout as Eclipsen made impact with the ground. Nina took a step forward in surprise and Fabien grabbed her shoulder.

"No!"

The Huntsman shouted as he took his own step forward, his hand finding it's way to his Longsword despite the freshly closed wounds in his side. Sundancer drew his own sword and joined the Huntsman in getting ready for a fight.

"Meowster!"

He called desperately, his mewl similar to one of pain.

Nergigante's claws flexed in anger and she felt her teeth clench in fury. She stared at the unmoving body of Eclipsen, his figure broken and defeated. The right shoulder plate of his Odogaron armor had been shattered along with his Slinger and the Black Sword was in the worst state she had ever seen it in.

This was not how this powerful Hunter was meant to look. Her inner monster howled in added rage at the thought of such a beast prevailing over the human who had bested her. More anger filled Nergigante's being and her teeth felt the need to bury themselves in flesh.

The Savage Deviljho took a step back and arched it's head into the sky before letting out a victorious roar, the Dragon Element in it's maw steaming like newly boiled water.

Richard clenched his cross tightly and Angela could only place her hands over her mouth to keep from letting out a pained howl. Nina reached for her weapon and her hand met thin air, soon realizing why Fabien had stopped her from rushing in. The Huntsman gave an angry grunt as he tore his Longsword from it's sheath.

The Deviljho breathed heavily before turning, it's gaze locking onto the group. It was still hungry, and victory did nothing to sate that hunger.

Nergigante felt a screech crawl into her throat as her wings fanned out and her tail slammed angrily into the ground. Her spines rattled menacingly in fury as the Deviljho took a few loud steps toward them. She would tear this monster apart, whether it was part of her kind or not.

The rest of the group quickly began to ready themselves for combat. Fabien pulled his Insect Glaive clumsily from his back and Nina ripped her carving knife from her belt. Angela let out an angry yell as she pulled her Gunlance from her back, ignoring the feeling of welling tears in her eyes.

The group hadn't noticed that it had started downpouring, with the ground growing wet and slick with rain as the feeling of looming combat swelled.

The Deviljho walked forward slowly, it's gaze sizing up it's next battle and meals. It's tongue darted out from it's mouth, quickly licking the dirt and earth clean from it's teeth to cleanse it's palate. The Dragon Element surged through it's teeth, the crimson electricity darting across the bone white weapons.

The group could only wait as the monster stopped it's approach.

It opened it's maw and roared again, letting the excess of it's Dragon breath to leak out if the sides of it's mouth.

Nergigante recognized the display as an attempt to assert dominance, and she swiftly remembered that she was an Elder Dragon. Her teeth clenched further and she took a few steps ahead of the group. She fanned out her wings further and rattled her spines, making as much noise as she could to rival the Deviljho's roar. She couldn't roar anymore, but she was still able to show her own strength.

Her yellow eyes stared down the Deviljho's own golden orb, her anger swelling as it continued to try and assert dominance. The only thought that graced her was the idea of tearing this Deviljho apart.

She was an Elder Dragon, the top of the food chain and respected by monster and human alike. She would fight to the death to avenge her friends and it was more than likely that she would win.

After all, if Eclipsen had done it, she could do it better.

Her mind stuttered for a second as she noticed a glint of bright crimson above the Deviljho's head. Her vision focused for a moment before she beheld Eclipsen's familiar figure on top of the monster's skull.

The entire group watched in disbelief as Eclipsen stepped further onto the Deviljho's head, the broken remnants of his Slinger discarded for the thin wire that it used to grapple.

The Deviljho made a confused sound as the wire slipped around it's neck.

The wire then tightened quicker than the monster could register and the Deviljho lost the ability to draw breath into it's lungs. Eclipsen pulled on the wire like a demon had possessed his body, his crimson eye glowing brighter than it ever had before.

The Deviljho made a wheezing, pleading howl as it took a few panicked steps backward, it's balance shaking as it did so. The wire around it's neck was tightening at an alarming rate and it's body couldn't function without the air it consumed more often then actual food.

Eclipsen's body was like a black phantom as he curled the wire around his hands to both give him a better grip and to tighten the wire further around the Deviljho's neck. His knees did most of the work as he pushed off the monster before pulling with his arms, his broken and cracked Odogaron armor stretching further thanks to the sheer swelling of Eclipsen's muscles.

The Deviljho tried to release a torrent of Dragon Element, only for the black and red gas to sputter out in the middle of it's esophagus and begin to burn the flesh inside it's throat thanks to the blockage that the wire was making. It let out another wheezing gasp as it slammed into a nearby tree to try and loosen the grip of the wire.

The group remained silent before erupting in a shared cheer. Angela tossed her Gunlance to the ground before taking a step forward and cupping her hands to her mouth.

"KICK IT'S ASS!"

Sundancer leapt into the air in joy as the Huntsman removed one hand from his weapon and raised in the air triumphantly.

"GO!"

The word was simple yet it conveyed a cheer for victory that only the Huntsman could make. Nina pumped her hands into the air and let out a howl of courage and Fabien quickly joined her, using his single free hand to mirror the action the Huntsman had performed.

"AND I WILL STRIKE DOWN UPON THEE WITH GREAT VENGEANCE AND FURIOUS ANGER, ALL THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO POISON AND DESTROY MY BROTHERS! AND YOU WILL KNOW MY NAME IS THE LORD, WHEN I LAY MY VENGEANCE UPON THEE!"

Richard outright screamed the end of his prayer into the angry skies as Eclipsen tightened his hold in the wire, refusing to give the Deviljho ground as it flailed and raged across the area.

Eclipsen's eye glowed like a flaming star as the Deviljho rammed it's body against a nearby tree in an effort to dislodge the Hunter from it's neck. The wire around it's throat only tightened further, and the muscles in it's neck gave way as the wire cut through it's hardened skin like a hot knife through butter.

The monster gave a heaving cry as death loomed closer, the wire constricting further around it's neck. The wire hissed as the black blood of the Deviljho tried to eat away at it's components, only for the wire to get thinner, sharper and even more deadly.

The cheer of the crowd didn't distract Nergigante from watching and listening closely as Eclipsen slowly finished the battle he had started. She felt a cruel smile creep into her face as her instincts took even more pride from how Eclipsen had returned and was asserting his own dominance onto the Deviljho in the only way known to nature.

This was how an Elder Dragon fought.

She wanted to join the cheers of her new friends and she wanted to see the brutal end of their foe. And deep, deep down inside her, she realized that the feeling she had felt in the Tradeyard was the desire to protect the ones in Astera. This Deviljho's death would protect many lives and save ones that would come after.

As she listened to the battle rage onward, she heard a low, beastial growl. Her smile disappeared and her pride poofed out of existence, with horror taking it's place as she deduced that the growl was Eclipsen's.

And that growl wasn't even human anymore.

The Deviljho lifted it's body back into the air, using it's tail to balance and keep from falling backwards. Eclipsen adjusted his foot on the head of the monster and pulled harder, the wire creaking and cutting deeper into the Deviljho's throat.

The end was near, and the group cheered louder as the eye of the Deviljho rolled back into it's head. The blood from the wound on it's neck sprayed slightly from around the wire constraining it's flow.

Nergigante felt horror creep into her mind as she noticed that the wire was too tight for normal human muscles to pull, with the neck of the Deviljho now looking more similar to a cinched garden hose than it's natural muscled state.

Then, her pride and instincts once again took into account that this was a victory.

And she screamed.

" **KILL IT!** "

Her shrill cheer cracked through the air like a whip, and lightning struck somewhere in the distance not even a fraction of a second later.

All of the Ancient Forest heard as Eclipsen opened his mouth and let out a roar. The sound was completely and totally inhuman, its deep tune echoing strangely as it carried off into the distance. Eclipsen's crimson eye flared up like it was actually on fire, despite the fact that it was only light spilling forth from the iris.

And as soon as the roar died out, a loud and sickening snap erupted from the throat of the Deviljho. The monster's body collapsed forward with a thundering boom and the ground shook as it's corpse landed heavily on the earth, it's maw visibly shattering as it met with the dirt.

A few seconds passed as the rain continued to fall. The group was quiet, having been shocked and scared by both the cheer of Nergigante and the roar of Eclipsen respectively.

They watched as Eclipsen let the wire fall to the ground, his body heaving and his breath shallow. He took slow, uncoordinated steps as he made his way off the Deviljho's neck. His eye had lost much of it's glow, but it was still shining vividly in the dark and muddy environment.

The ground seemed to welcome him as his foot met the Earth, plunging deeply into the slick and wet dirt that had mixed with the rain and become mud. His movement was poor as he dragged said foot out of the mud and placed it forward before repeating the process with his other foot.

He inched closer to the group, though Nergigante knew something was incredibly and irrevocably wrong. His shining eye was dead and void of emotion. His body was no longer displaying the strength she had found admirable, but instead it was shaking like an animal stuck in the cold.

And as he tried to walk closer to the group, Eclipsen's knees gave out and he lost conciousness once more.


	24. Chapter 23

Hello everyone! Another chapter incoming! But first, the reviews.

Hunter Zickafoose: Well, you guessed right which is honestly a pleasant surprise. I had the Deviljho fight planned out for a while.

freddy.lane.1: Indeed it is. Apex Monsters were one of the hardest challenges for me in 4U.

RoseSeraph: Oh absolutely. Ruined hunts have made me actually go after the Jho instead of the actual target monster on more than one occasion.

The Megaevolved Pony: Yeah, but it's kind of hard to come up with any other words they fit both Nergy and the situation. But hey, I'm glad you liked it!

holothewolf16: Maybe, maybe not. You'd be surprised how many have the same idea but don't voice it very often.

UnkownSoul: We'll have to wait and see my friend. Both roads are long and paved with good intentions.

The Neckbeard Knight: Actually I wasn't thinking about making a reference until I realized that the specific Bible quote works incredibly well for the situation.

Raime063AN: Yeah, it should be a rollercoaster, but I'm still drained from writing that fight. I apologise if this chapter is slightly less entertaining.

And before we go any further, I want to warn all of you that there are the first hints of sexual content in this chapter. Please keep in mind that I had plans to eventually get to the more sexual content, and here are the first echoes of it that will come in later chapters.

Please don't blow up in the reviews about not knowing about the sexual stuff. It makes me feel bad in my brain holes.

* * *

Silence had fallen on Astera as rain battered the human settlement. The Commander sheltered himself underneath the large boat that made up the roof of the Tradeyard while he overlooked the use of many of their stored medicines and curatives. Nulberries had been used, First Aid Meds were almost running dry and Astera Jerky was being used to feed those that the Canteen hadn't yet.

The Commander looked over a clipboard with worry. But said worry didn't come from the waning numbers of medical supplies in the clipboard. Instead, he was concerned about Eclipsen and the team that had followed him to combat the Savage Deviljho.

He remembered the day his top Hunter had fought the last Deviljho like it was clear as day.

-Transition-

 _"He's critical! Someone get me a tourniquet, tweezers and some blood bags!"_

 _The Tradeyard buzzed as the whole of Astera worked to save their star. Those who didn't hunt were rushing to retrieve the supplies the doctor had requested while those who did hunt were busy tracking the trail of the Deviljho like blood hounds out for a vengeance._

 _The Commander himself was boiling with anger. He felt the burning urge to come out of forty years of retirement so he could rip that monster a new rear, but unfortunately he was more focused on keeping his best Hunter from death's door._

 _"Everyone! Return to your tasks! Those of you who are helping, keep doing so! Everyone who isn't assisting the doctor should be making sure to give clear paths to the ones who are!"_

 _The workers around the Commander jumped at his loud order, but the shout quickly took a effect as people returned to what they were doing. A total of four young people had stayed to help bring Eclipsen back from death._

 _The Commander walked quickly up to the makeshift surgery table that had been set up in between the place where the Argosy Captain sat and the Elder Melder's pot, both for quick supplies from the best sources and for the quick access the spot provided by being the open._

 _"Is there anything I can do?"_

 _The doctor looked up at the Commander as she leaned in to check Eclipsen's heartbeat. She quickly lifted her head from his chest and moved to his heavily wounded arm._

 _"No, not at the moment Commander. You can watch, if you want to."_

 _The Commander nodded as he turned and moved over to the side of the Argosy Captain, his eyes remaining locked in the Hunter even as he moved._

 _Eclipsen looked like he had been massacred. His right arm had been torn to bloody shreds, his left eye had been gouged out and what wounds that were visible elsewhere were just as severe. The Commander was just as surprised as the doctor that Eclipsen was still even breathing, as they had reported broken and fractured ribs when they first carted him in._

 _The Commander adopted his usual pose and crossed his arms, hiding any trace of emotion from his face. He was grateful that the doctor had let him watch, as it was better than what the Handler had gotten._

 _Poor Hether._

 _She had been dragged away in tears by Brad and Rebecca, as she was almost demonically determined to stay by her partner's side as the doctor worked. She was most likely still breaking down somewhere else, despite the presence of both Brad and Rebecca._

 _The Commander squeezed his arm tightly and held onto the hope that his top Hunter would pull through._

-Transition-

The Tradeyard was fairly quiet now, with the exceptions of the rain battering the roof and the occasional groans of the wounded hunters.

"Why did you conscript me for this? I'm a botanist, not a surgeon!"

The Chief Botanist, named Tony, complained as he pressed a towel into the leg of a still wounded hunter. The doctor gave him a nasty smirk before inserting a syringe into the hunter's leg and injecting a small dose of painkiller.

"Because you need to learn some medical knowldge, Tony. Otherwise that Doctorate is just for show."

Tony gave an offended look and his mouth moved like a fish at the statement. The doctor moved over to where Tony was holding onto the towel and waved him off, to which he happily, and almost too readily, let go of the towel and backed away.

The rest of the Tradeyard was filled with the workers who were stuck under the roof because of the rain and the hunters who were forced to stay put by the doctors and medical experts. Many of them were chatting with the other hunters and workers about how Eclipsen, their shining star, was faring against the Savage Deviljho.

The Commander was wondering the same as he watched the rain batter the landscape. He could see the large elder tree that marked the Ancient Forest, and for some reason the sight felt foreboding rather than magnificent. Thunder sounded in the distance, making more than a few of the workers and hunters jerk in surprise.

A silence fell upon the area as the rain began to fall even harder, sounding as if the water battering the roof of the Tradeyard was now solid instead of pure rain. The Commander pushed off the crate he was leaning on and walked over to the edge of the roof, watching as the rain struck the Earth like a hammer on an anvil.

"Whoa, really coming down hard, huh?"

The man who worked the Provisions Stockpile said. He placed a hand over his eyes as he tried to peer under the roof at the sky. The Commander did the same, letting his boot move out from under the roof and be soaked by the rain.

"Indeed it is..."

The sound of the rain wasn't soothing to the Commander like it was to others. To him, it was a sign of tragedy. It always managed to show up when something went wrong, and if not during then it would surely rain afterwards. The Commander didn't care to look for the hidden meaning behind the phenomenon, as he was more focused on what happened to cause the rain.

His worries grew as the rain intensified, the black clouds in the sky reflecting the dark nature of the situation they were dealing with.

A pillar of lightning reached down from the clouds, striking somewhere off in the distance. The people in the Tradeyard jumped at the loud sound and flash of light

Another stroke of lightning tore through the sky, striking somewhere off in the distant sea. Then another, which kissed the Earth not far from the Wildspire Wastes. More lightning fell from the heavens just above the port in Astera, striking a wooden pole that proceeded to explode upon impact.

The people under the Tradeyard roof were now unsettled by the lightning and the fact that it had just struck something inside Astera. The people who could walk moved themselves over to the edge of the roof so they too could watch as nature threw it's angry fit.

Another flash in the sky brought more lightning, superheating the air and scorching the ground it touched as it stretched down from the sky and slammed the ground just in front of the gate that led out of Astera.

Except this pillar of electricity was crimson in color.

"What the hell is going on?!"

As one of the hunters yelled out his query, a horrid sound cut through the air following after the strike of lightning.

It was a strange, deep and vocal sound. Like the deep call of a horn or the loud blaring of a whale's song, but it was louder, sharper and far more offensive. It was similar to the roar of a Ceadeus that had been angered and drawn to the surface where it's thundering roar could be heard by all.

Everyone in the Tradeyard went silent as the sound died out, with all having their eyes towards the Ancient Forest where the roar has come.

The Commander uncrossed his arms and took a step forward, not even bothering to notice the rain that quickly soaking his dry clothing. His mind raced with possibilities. The roar wasn't a Deviljho's, nor was it any other Elder Dragon. He knew for sure that it wasn't a Fatalis, because everyone in the New World would have noticed the Black Dragon's presence.

So what Elder Dragon had a roar like that and summoned crimson lightning?

The sky seemed to calm slightly as silence fell once more. The lightning was no longer reaching down from the clouds to attack the ground, and the thunder that had accompanied it had disappeared like it hadn't been there at all. The rain lessened considerably, with the impact on the roof of the Tradeyard no longer sounding like the charging of an Anjanath.

Long, agonizing seconds passed as the quiet remained. Both the hunters and the workers had their gazes locked on the Ancient Forest. The man working the Stockpile leaned forward and placed his arm on his knee, his posture careful and worried.

"Commander... What the hell was that?"

The Commander's eyebrows pinched in a mixture of emotions as he crossed his arms once again, this time a little more forcefully than he meant to.

"I don't know..."

More time passed, with two minutes passing by like water slipping through a pair of cupped hands. Nobody found the courage to continue doing what they were doing with the exception of the doctor, who was busy keeping a hunter from bleeding too severely.

Everyone noticed that there was a heavy sense of dread in their air. Part of it was the worry over their best Hunter, and the second part was the fact that the last strike of lightning was differently colored than it should have been. The third part was something they couldn't quite describe, like how one feels when they see shadows move in the darkness.

"MEDIC! WE NEED SOME HELP!"

The Tradeyard leapt as the voice of Richard rippled through the air. The doctor quickly secured the towel around the hunters arm before letting go and walking as quickly as she could towards the other side of the Tradeyard.

The Commander felt his heart drop as he watched Eclipsen be hauled into the Tradeyard, his body unmoving. Richard and Nina carried the unconscious man with great care, setting him gently down on a stack of boxes that served well as a table. The doctor rushed over, pulling her stethoscope from her neck as she jogged.

"What happened?!"

"He fought that Deviljho. Broken bones, bruising and definitely some internal hemorrhaging."

Richard stated as the doctor placed the end of the stethoscope on Eclipsen's chest and listened for a moment before moving it. She pulled it off his chest and hooked it back around her neck after a few seconds of listening. She then reached out and gently squeezed Eclipsen's arm, which made Richard, Nina and Fabien flinch. The doctor cringed as well.

"You two, I need you to help me carry him to the medical ward. Use that stretcher."

Nina and Fabien moved like machines as they grabbed the stretcher that had been pointed out to them and unfolded it before moving Eclipsen onto the white object.

The Commander watched as Eclipsen was carried away, worry now tearing it's path through his chest. The Huntsman walked up next to the brooding man, his hand placed firmly on the side of his damaged armor. Richard and Angela watched helplessly as well, their eyes carrying a hurt and haunted look that spoke more words than a thick novel.

The Commander's gaze shifted as he glimpsed Nergigante walking quickly up the stairs toward the Canteen. He decided to ignore it for now, as she had grown close to Eclipsen during the recent days. It was almost assured that she was in as much turmoil as the rest of the Tradeyard.

"What happened?"

The Commander asked, his voice rough to conceal the hints of concern beneath. The Huntsman sighed as Angela walked over, having heard the question as well. Richard only kept watching as Eclipsen was carried away, his hand finding it's way onto his cross once more.

"We killed the Savage Deviljho, but a lot of casualties have been taken. It's body is still out in the rain, where the Revultures can get at it. It's what it deserves, if you ask me."

The Huntsman said as he removed his hand from his damaged armor and crossed his arms, exposing the still healing pink flesh on his side. Angela nodded to confirm the Huntsman's story. The Commander looked at the ground briefly, his eyes filled with many emotions.

He agreed that the Deviljho would be better if it was left to rot, but they needed materials and armor for the hunters who had their equipment damaged by the attack. They could sell off the rest of the parts to the Guild when the Argosy set sail for supplies as well.

"Grab some hunters and go salvage what you can from it. We take what we can get."

The Huntsman nodded with a grunt before walking away, the damaged portion of his armor being noted by many in the Tradeyard as he moved. Angela spared a sorrowful look before moving to follow the Huntsman. The Commander spoke before she fell into a stride, stopping her before she could walk away.

"Angela, could you write up a report of what happened in detail?"

He asked, his tone more of a hopeful request than an order. Angela drew in a quiet breath before nodding, her posture speaking of how she wasn't ready to relive the moment just yet.

"Thank you."

The Commander said quietly as he offered a pat on the shoulder to Angela. She nodded again before turning and walking towards Richard. She patted Richard on the shoulder before letting her palm come to rest on his Seregios pauldron, pulling him out of his silent prayer.

"Come on."

She said in a whisper before guiding Richard toward the staircase up to the Canteen. The dark haired man nodded and gave his cross a squeeze before walking alongside her, his shoulders sagging.

The Commander frowned. He sincerely hoped that Hether would take it well.

-Transition-

Nergigante shivered slightly as she gripped the edges of Eclipsen's bed, her claws piercing the side and the sheet covering it. Her tail was moving across the bed in it's usual agitated manner, poking and pulling the blankets across the bed and making it even more messy than it had been when they had left for the Workshop.

The smell of the cigar smoke lingered in the air, which was a welcome reprieve from the smell of blood and fear that had wafted from the Tradeyard. Nergigante let out a growl as she tore her claws from the bed and placed her scaled hands into her face.

She was wrestling with her instincts at the moment. They had been awakened by the battle Eclipsen had with the Deviljho, and now they were telling her to to things that would have never crossed her mind beforehand.

She wanted to tear apart the room in anger and then Eclipsen's clothing to get at-

She quickly stamped down in the runaway thought like a diseased rat that had wandered into the room. She didn't want to think of him in such a way, especially after all he had done for her. Her hateful side remarked that she didn't want to even touch a human, let alone share a bed or even something more intimate with one.

The more rational parts of her brain were trying to focus on the feeling she had gotten at the moment Eclipsen had slipped that wire around the Deviljho's neck. She had sensed the presence of another Elder Dragon, which she assumed reignited her instincts. These processed and thought out feelings were hindered by her primal urges, which were screaming as her to find Eclipsen and claim-

Another growl escaped her throat as she forced the feelings down. She hated those thoughts. They were so clearly not something she was, not something she had-

She looked up at the room as the truth graced her mind. She removed her hands from her face and looked down at them, watching as they curled and uncurled at her command. She looked further downward, noting her feet which she used the heels to walk on. She reached towards her shirt and pulled it out, observing the unruly mounds of flesh she had found cumbersome when she first awoke.

Nergigante sucked in a breath as the weight of her changes came crashing down on her.

She had changed so much since yesterday. She had learned that humans had feelings. She had learned that she was more intelligent than she ever knew. She had learned that clothing was not strictly made from innocents and that humans weren't the bloodthirsty killing machines she had thought they were.

She was no longer the monster that she used to be. Her body would never be the same, and she was closer to humanity than she had ever been. Her instincts had become dormant, almost useless beyond quick reactions. She would never return to being what she was, and she had already begun to see that it was impacting her in ways she never thought it would.

Her feelings for a certain man had grown as well.

Nergigante closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, envisioning a writhing snake in her grasp. Her instincts personified, held tightly in her hands like prey.

She used to have it curled up to her ear, influencing every action, every step she ever took. Everything had been driven by hunger, emotion, the desire to dominate, claim territory and even the need to find a mate. No thought rested in her instincts, only the base needs that she was driven heavily by.

The snake hissed in her mind. Her instincts were something she could never be rid of. They were a part of her, and taking them away would be like loosing a second, backup heart in her chest. They were also the ones that granted her the ability to fight, the ability to tear apart her enemies.

She squeezed her hands tighter, hoping to silence the urges her instincts brought.

Then, a sound invaded her ears.

Gentle tweeting. It was quiet and peaceful. Dignified and regal. Elegant, like the falling of a leaf from a tree. There was a beauty to it that she hadn't seen before. It brought forth the image of a bird, gliding effortlessly through the air as if it was nothing at all.

She opened her eyes, watching as the Elegant Coralbird flew around the Private Quarters before perching on the chandelier. It looked down at her and tweeted, it's little eyes seeming to display a sense of pity or sympathy. Nergigante knew it was likely that the Coralbird was just wondering what a poor creature like her was doing, but it meant something more to her.

The bird took on the image of her thoughts. Her intelligence and sapience that she hadn't acknowledged or used beyond defeating other Elder Dragons. Her mind and wit hadn't been given the chance to soar like the elegant bird that it was, instead desperately crying out for just such a chance.

And now, she had that chance.

She closed her eyes again, letting the tweets of the Coralbird fill her mind. She took the time to scour her feelings, her true feelings. The ones hidden and suppressed by her primal urges and instincts. She thought about Hether, who she had come to know as a shining star of happiness and bright cheerful personality. She thought of the Commander, who radiated power and authority that even she was hard pressed to overcome.

And finally, she thought about Eclipsen. Her heartbeat quickened as she thought about all the things he had shown her, said to her and even given her. The image of the schematics flashed in her mind, then the first time she had laid eyes on him after she transformed. The memories surged back like water breaking from a dam. It took precious seconds for her to run through them all.

The point that stuck out to her was that Humanity had to given her it's everything. Nature was both a cruel and loving mistress, but she raised her children to be self-sufficient and powerful. Humanity was the same way; both cruel and loving. It had shown her both the uncontrollable strength that it could instill and the kindness that it could give.

Humanity had given Nergigante the same upbringing that Nature had, but it focused on intelligence rather than instinct. Wit instead of strength. But Nature still played her own hand in the game, offering humans like Eclipsen the power to stand amongst the rest as a shining beacon.

So the question was... Was humanity offering her the same thing Nature had offered Eclipsen?

She ran the thought through her mind, counting the seconds it took as she did. And she came to her conclusion.

She opened her eyes and moved her hand, offering it as a resting place for the Coralbird. It looked at her with curiosity and it seemed that nature required no words to communicate, as the bird opened it's wings and glided down into Nergigante's finger, tweeting happily as it did so.

She looked at the pink creature deeply. She knew what she wanted to be, in this new world of human interaction and bodily functions. She wanted to be like Eclipsen. A hero for those who wanted to live in peace and a defender of the helpless. She wanted to provide hope to those who needed it the most and care for the people who couldn't do it on their own.

But that didn't mean she had to abandon her instincts. She could still be the angry, raging beast that she had been before, but for the purpose of dethroning those who would harm the helpless and punish the ones who would take advantage of the weak. She could strike fear into those who would grow to be just like the tyrants before them, and show them that such a path was dangerous and unjust.

Eclipsen and the rest of Humanity had given her everything there was to give when starting a new life. She had friends, comrades, people to meet, goals to accomplish, and all the food she could eat. They had even given her the tools to carve her future, made from the bones and scales of her past.

And Eclipsen had given her the most important thing of all...

A purpose. An answer to the question that so many spent their lifetimes trying to answer. And he had just given it away to her like it was a simple bouquet of flowers. Something he himself was still looking for, and he had just dropped it in front of her like it was an offering of food.

The image of Eclipsen's face flashed in her mind, with a warm feeling creeping it's way into her chest. A shaky breath made it's way out of her lungs and she quickly closed her eyes to ward off the tears threatening to spill out of her tear ducts.

As she thought about her rebirth, she slowly realized that she was falling in love with Eclipsen.

-Transition-

Hether's leg was unable to stop bouncing as she waited for Eclipsen and his team to return. Rebecca sat next to the Handler, her hands wrapped around a mug of fruit juice and her eyes locked on Hether in worry.

Hether couldn't help but be unfathomably scared. She didn't want to see Eclipsen in the same state he had been in after the first battle with a Deviljho. She didn't want to have to worry about whether or not he would survive through the night.

She closed her eyes and forced down a particularly difficult breath. She was glad that the Meowscular Chef had cleared out from the Canteen along with his protegÃs. They had moved down near the Tradeyard where they could provide more food and drink for the ones who really needed it, giving Hether some room to breath, and break down of she needed to.

"I'm sure he'll be fine."

Rebecca offered. It was a blatant lie. She herself wasn't sure that Eclipsen would come back without at least some wounds. It wouldn't surprise her at all if he was carted in on the edge of death once more. She sincerely hoped that it wasn't the case, as Hether's compassionate heart was too fragile to endure another life or death situation, especially if it involved the life of her partner.

"How can you know that?"

Hether asked, her tone more accusing than she meant it to be. Rebecca sent a slightly offended look to Hether, who returned it with one of apology.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... I can't help but be worried."

Rebecca nodded and reached over, patting her close friend on the back and dragging her hand across the length of her spine. Rebecca understood Hether's state of mind to a T. She had been in the same worried state after the first siege on Zorah Magdaros when Brad faced off with Nergigante.

"It's okay, Hether. All we can do is wait."

The more jovial Handler nodded solemnly, her eyes threatening to tear up. Rebecca only continued to rub her friend's back, altering her own gaze towards the strormy skies. That quick lightning storm had happened less than two minutes ago, but it had still disturbed the two. There was no lightning Elder Dragon in the area, unless there was Kirin sneaking around the Ancient Forest.

Rebecca felt that something was wrong. The occasional drizzle or shower was common in the Ancient Forest and Astera, along with ever other region in the New World. But this storm was a different story. The rain was coming down hard, and the leafy overhang above the Canteen was making wet thumping sounds with every drop of water that hit it.

And the lightning was highly irregular. A flash in the distance and the drowned out sound of thunder was the most they would get in Astera, but a bolt of lightning had physically struck somewhere in the human settlement. Not to mention the red lightning that had never been seen before.

The sound of footsteps brought both Rebecca and Hether out of their respective thoughts, and Hether stood like a prarie dog at the sound.

Richard and Angela climbed the stairs with frowns on their faces. Richard gave Hether a look Rebecca couldn't decipher as he walked past the brazier, which had it's fire quenched by the heavy rain.

"Where is he?"

Hether asked, the edge of accusing slipping back into her voice. She took a step, closing the distance between her and Richard. Rebecca stood from her seat, just in case her friend's mood shifted from sadness to anger. The line between the two was thin, just as the line between love and hate was thin.

Richard maintained his gaze as he stared Hether straight in the eyes. Angela walked up next to Richard, running a hand along her vermillion hair to clear it of the rainwater that had coated it.

"He's in the infirmary. He's... Got a few more broken bones, but he'll be okay. I... Know he'll be okay."

Richard said, his sky blue eyes drifting downward as he finished his sentence. The pain in his voice was clearer than crystal, and Hether's expression shifted between a pool of emotions. At first, anger flashed, then denial, then some bitterness snuck back in before her face defaulted to sadness.

Angela cast an apologetic glance towards Rebecca as she stepped quietly over to the table, still brushing droplets of water from her hair. The Serious Handler gave a nod of understanding as she lowered back down into her seat.

"Can... Can you tell me everything?"

Hether asked, her eyes pleading as she looked at Richard. He brought his own orbs back up to meet her eyeline, remaining silent for a moment. He then nodded, slowly and reluctantly.

-Transition-

"So you just let him fight alone?!"

"You have to understand. This was a duel. Every hunter has at least one duel, and it's not exactly... Smiled upon to interfere."

Richard's eyes were glued to the table as he finished the story. Hether was in a state that she was rarely ever seen in; fuming. Rebecca was sending a worried and slightly nervous look to her friend, as the image of pure rage on Hether's face was deeply unsettling.

But as seconds passed, the anger slowly melted off Hether's features and she lifted her hands to cover her face, sucking in a gasp to prevent herself from breaking down completely.

Richard glanced up at Hether for a moment before looking back down. He reached up and gripped his cross, letting out a quiet breath. Angela had her head buried in her arms, her breaths spaced out so widely that it looked as if she wasn't breathing at all.

Long seconds passed as Hether tried to rein in her grief. Richard closed his eyes and continued to hold his cross while Angela let out a sigh from beneath her folded arms. Rebecca felt somewhat out of place in the situation, as she lacked any sort of activity to busy herself with besides staring into her empty cup.

"I... J-just don't know why he d-does this to himself..."

Hether said shakily as she tried to contain her tears. Richard opened his eyes and looked at her, his cross still held tightly in his fist. Angela lifted her face from her arms and rested her chin on them instead, eying both Handlers with an unreadable look. Rebecca reached over and placed her hand on Hether's back once more.

"H-he runs into every fight and gets himself hurt. I wish he'd just slow down for a while..."

She said, her composure returning to her as she finished her sentence. Richard nodded as he offered his free hand. Hether looked at it for a second before reaching out and taking it.

"I know. He's been like that since we met him. He thinks it's his responsibility. But this time, we'll force him to stay put."

Hether took in a shaky breath before squeezing Richard's hand.

"You promise?"

She asked, her hope audible in her voice. Richard smiled and squeezed back.

"I promise."


	25. Chapter 24

Hello everybody! I'm so, so sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I was forced to leave my technology behind during a trip to another part of my family. But, in the meantime, I managed to write up enough of a draft to finish this chapter.

Also as a warning for everyone who knows anything about Latin, I tried using Google Translate to make certain parts of this chapter and the results are... Bad. They're just bad.

So if you guys can read Latin, I implore you to ignore the horrible, sickening spelling errors and broken Latin written in this chapter.

RoseSeraph: Perhaps. I've heard of soldiers who take on too much responsibility and unconsciously hurt themselves because of the lives they have taken. Fatalis is out, because the Commander himself stated they the New World would have felt the presence of a Black Dragon. And who knows, maybe Eclipsen will be tied to his bed this time instead of left to his own devices.

UnkownSoul: Indeed it is.

Ceoko: I'm glad you like it! And here is the chapter you've been waiting for.

Touhoufanatic: I'm glad I've done so well, and I agree wholeheartedly. Some fics I've read just don't have any substance to the story if you get what I mean.

ShadowfireAngel: Yes, but the question is how will she cope with emotions? As far as I know, monsters don't feel real emotions like we do, so I'm sure it's a shock for her.

Luine Mercury LWG: You might be right about that one. Black Dragons are shown to do irreversible damage to the environment, so who's to say the same isn't possible for living things? Also the name is coming up in the next chapter, so you better hold onto your butt!

Raime063AN: That observation was glorious. Also yeah, Eclipsen being bedridden will be quite a problem for him I imagine. Also thank you. I don't have much confidence when it comes to lots of dialogue. I'm good at actions scenes, but dialogue isn't my forte.

The Megaevolved Pony: Upside, you crying in the inside means I've written a good story! Or at least that what my highschool English teacher told me.

BlazingNova: As much as I appreciate you liking it, I apologise from the bottom of my heart about the delay. I know the feel of checking for a chapter every other hour and finding nothing.

And with the reviews responded to, Onward with the Story!

* * *

As Astera fell further into the darkness of nighttime, an eerie silence absorbed the settlement. The anxiety in Astera was plain to see, as many were restlessly staying up late into the night, with candles burning and shining out into the light despite the larger braziers and lamps having been out out by the rain. The night was colder than usual, with a chill sinking into the bones of Astera. The rain deepened the cold with it's gift of moisture, making some of the coldest areas in Astera begin to freeze.

Among the many people who were unable to sleep was Angela, who was busy writing up the report the Commander had asked for. The feather pen in her now un-armored hand feeling somewhat flimsy in comparison to some of the other pens she had packed. But a pen was a pen and the ink on the utensil continued to weave together elegant strokes of black that formed neat letters.

Angela's eyebrows furrowed as she wrote. The events of the battle flashed through her mind like a nightmare, the memories almost painful to recall thanks to their heavy outcome. She couldn't pull her mind from the fact that her friend was stuck in a hospital bed, his bones most likely being forcefully put back together through some highly advanced surgery. She sighed as she finished her sentence, lifting the pen from the paper and placing it gently into the small pen holder next to her.

She looked up and gazed around the room she, Richard, Nina and Fabien had been assigned. It looked identical to the room Eclipsen had, but it was sparse and empty in comparison. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, with small metal caps having been lowered onto the candles to put them out. Two beds sat on the right and left sides of the room, with leather woven hammocks hanging above them in a subversion of the usual bunk bed. The desk she sat at was directly next to her own chosen bed on the right side of the room. The desk itself was situated in front of a large side window that had it's curtains drawn.

Richard slept soundly in the hammock above Angela's bed, his armor having been discarded and exposing the black latex shirt and pants he wore underneath them. His cross glinted in the darkness of the room, catching what little light there was. Angela sighed again. Even if she didn't have to write up the report, sleep would probably evade her. She didn't know how Richard managed to ignore the harm that was done to Eclipsen, though she knew that deep down Richard was just was worried as everyone was.

Angela's eyes lingered on Richard's cross. It was a symbol of an ancient religion that had faded into obscurity, yet Richard held onto it like it was a gift from a loved one. In reality they had found it in one of the ruins that dotted the Old World along with a thick tome written in the old, almost dead language that the ancient civilization had used. Richard had taken a liking to the cross and had the book translated, which he then read over the course of a few weeks. It had changed him, in a subtle and almost unnoticeable way. Before he had read it, he expressed his worries by not sleeping, staying late into the night and staring at whatever was above him.

But afterwards, sleep took him far more easily. He carried the cross with him everywhere, having made it into a necklace. He often recited small passages from the book when he felt they were appropriate. Angela believed that he had found some measure of closure in the pages of that book, and whatever comfort it brought him she welcomed. She just wondered what exactly he had read in that book to make him change such small yet important things about himself.

She sighed once more and looked back at the sheet of paper she was writing on. There was a little more than half of the events of the night to write down, and she didn't look forward to recalling the instant that Eclipsen's bones had been brutally broken and shattered. Angela lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off what felt like a headache. The sound of gentle rainfall became louder for a moment, signalling that the rain was becoming more unforgiving again.

She elected to ignore the sound of the rain and removed her fingers from her face, plucking the feather pen from it's holder and dipping it in the inkwell. She placed the pen onto the paper and began to write once more. The sound of the metal tip of the pen gliding on the paper was soothing, despite the uncomfortable memories that Angela was being forced to think about.

She wrote for another three minutes, writing up another paragraph of vivid detail. She even remembered parts of the battle she couldn't quite explain, like the strange feeling that she had felt from Eclipsen while he strangled the Deviljho. It had been the same feeling of foreboding that she felt when she was around particularly dangerous Elder Dragons. Gogmazios, Dalamadur and especially Dire Maralis invoked the same feeling in her, and it was somewhat unsettling that she had gotten the same feeling from her good friend.

The sound of the leather hammock rustling pulled Angela out of her thoughts and she placed a period at the end of her sentence. She glanced over her shoulder as she placed the leather pen back into it's holder. Richard rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands as he sat up in the hammock; a feat that wasn't easy to perform thanks to the movable nature of the leather.

"Angie? You still up?"

He asked, using the shortened version of her name. She wasn't fond of the nickname, as she found it somewhat girlish. Angela swiveled in her seat to face the bed and her friend, resting her arm on the back of the wooden chair.

"Yeah."

She said with little emotion. Richard nodded as he crawled out of the hammock and dropped to the floor, his feet landing with a thud on the wood planks. He rubbed at his right eye, seemingly trying to dispel an itch in the ocular organ. He walked over to where the desk was and stopped just short of standing next to Angela, peering over her shoulder to gaze at the report on the desk.

"Still writing that report?"

He asked as he finished scratching his eye. Angela only answered with a nod, her gaze shifting to the floor. Richard sighed as he lowered his arm, allowing the limb to go limp and make a slapping noise against his side. Angela barely noticed, her emerald eyes too focused on the masterfully crafted wood planks that made up the floorboards to noticed.

Richard's expression shifted and he took a step forward, reaching out and grabbing the report from the desk. Angela looked at him with surprise and slight offense as he carried the paper away from the desk.

"Go to bed."

He ordered, pointing half-heartedly at the bed as he did. His tone didn't come off as mean or cranky, but instead it carried the air of concern. Angela lifted herself from the chair, which brought the fact that she hadn't removed her Diablos leggings to light. She took a tiny step toward her friend before speaking quietly.

"But I-"

"I'll finish it. Go to bed."

Richard cut her off, which resulted in Angela's shoulders slumping slightly. After a second of Richard staring at her, she nodded and moved towards the bed.

Richard watched for small while as his old friend prepared for sleep before looking down at the report. He skimmed it quickly, noticing a few spelling errors that could easily be fixed with some extra ink.

He smiled. Richard still didn't know why everyone found writing reports so hard.

-Transition-

Nergigante yawned as she drew the blankets further around herself. The chill that had gripped the room was a stark and uncomfortable contrast to the warm nights that Astera usually felt. Nergigante was no stranger to the heat, but the cold was something she was un-accustomed to.

Eclipsen's absence also made the bed that much colder.

Nergigante held the blanket a little tighter. Ever since she had accepted the reality that she was developing feelings for the Hunter, thoughts like those had been ruthlessly assaulting her mind. They often made her maloncholy about Eclipsen's absence, though she knew it was only temporary.

These thoughts confused her as well. She had mated before in the wild, but it had never drawn out these feelings from her. Mating was simply a process to continue her lineage and to give her young the best chance of survival. Feelings of love and affection were temporary for her species. It was rare for Nergigante to settle and mate with another for life, as mating season happened only once every ten winters.

Though now, she found that deep down inside her instincts were disappointed that she hadn't spent her first mating season with the Hunter. Nergigante shoved that thought aside, as dwelling on the past would only bring more sad memories. She couldn't deny that she missed her family and the relatively simple life that her old body had, but hanging onto the wish to return to those times only prevented her from moving forward.

Nergigante sighed heavily and rolled over, allowing her wings to stretch out and hang over the edge of her side of the bed. She reached out and grabbed Eclipsen's pillow from his side and wrapped her arms around it, cuddling the fluffy object. It wasn't warm, but her body heat would fix that problem in a few minutes. What made the pillow valuable was the lingering scent of Eclipsen. Nergigante buried her face into the soft material, drawing in a quiet breath to take in the full extent of the Hunter's smell.

She couldn't quite describe what he smelled like, but she likened it to the smell of experience and old age. It was far from the stale smell of age that old Elder Dragons were caked in. Instead, it was more like the earthy scent of a honeysuckle filled meadow combined with the sweet smell of blood. It spoke of years of battle and bloodshed, hiding a soft layer of kindness and joy underneath.

Nergigante felt tears begin to wet her eyes as the image of Eclipsen's face faded into her mind. The pull of sleep edged it's way into the corners of Eclipsen's image, staining his mirage with a tinge of shadow.

Eventually, after a minute of focusing on the one she was infatuated with, Nergigante felt the hands of sleep pull her into a peaceful abyss.

-Transition-

At first, the darkness of sleep was all that Nergigante felt. She took comfort in the darkness, finding the drowsy and cloudy feeling of deep sleep just as cuddly as Sundancer's fur. The darkness was a like a loving mother that had wrapped it's arms around Nergigante, lulling her back into the gentle hold of peaceful dreams.

But the darkness did not stay.

It wasn't long before Nergigante awoke in a completely different place. The cloudy feeling of a dream still lingered in her mind, but what her eyes perceived was vivid and eerily real. She looked around, finding herself in a very different environment compared to the last nightmare she had.

She stood in an expanse of white, made completely of ivory marble. The floor was almost unnaturally smooth, carved to perfection by some forgotten dream craftsman. Large dried smears of blood stained a few places in the marble field, along with huge jagged gashes that looked to be from sharpened claws being dragged across the floor.

Nergigante blinked at her new surroundings, her mind taking a few seconds to realize the change in scenery. The switch between comforting darkness and blaring white and red was jarring. She quickly regained her senses when she realized someone other than herself was residing in the white plains of marble.

A figure stood straight ahead, their long black waist cloth waving in an invisible wind that Nergigante didn't feel. Just a few feet in front of the figure was a large, circular hole at least fifty feet wide and only the stars knew how deep. Nergigante spared another glance at her surroundings before her body moved on it's own.

She walked slowly forward, trying to stay at least somewhat quiet. Though the claws on her feet betrayed her by making soft tapping sounds on the white marble. As she walked, she became painfully aware of the silence that pervaded the white plains. It wasn't the solemn quiet that had fallen on Astera or the foreboding silence that had come after Eclipsen slew the Deviljho. Instead, it was like sound itself was afraid to exert it's presence.

The walk towards the figure took longer than Nergigante expected, but the exact time wasn't what she was focused on. She was instead noticing more and more about the figure as she moved.

The figure was a man, standing tall and pridefully in front of the large pit. The black cloth that streamed from his waist was in fact a tattered and bloodstained version of Eclipsen's own Death Stench Bowels. The tears in the black waist cloth revealed that underneath the man wore a torn and damaged version of Eclipsen's Girros Greaves.

The similarities between the man and Eclipsen were startling, as the man sported the same lions mane of ghostly white hair, almost blending into the white background he stood in. He lacked any kind of clothing in his arms and torso, expsoing his back and chest for the strange dream world to see. Nergigante couldn't see the leather strap that held the Dragonking Eyepatch around Eclipsen's eye hidden in the man's hair either.

The biggest difference that Nergigante could see was on the man's exposed body. Scars littered the man's pale flesh, mirroring Eclipsen's own battle wounds to an uncanny degree. But the scars on the man looked to have been freshly opened through battle, and small trickles of lightly colored blood dripped from the damaged tissue. Nergigante recognized a few of the scars from the night she had spent tracing them on Eclipsen's back, but the scars that she had seen healed were now torn open.

Nergigante continued her walk forward, now closer to the man by a few feet. Who was this human? Why did he mirror Eclipsen so perfectly? Where those scars reopened through battle like she thought or by something else? Too many questions danced in Nergigante's head, clouding her mind further along with the cotton like feeling of the dream world.

Nergigante shivered slightly as she grew closer to the man. She noticed another strange detail about the world she was in; there was no color. Only black, white and red painted the strange plains of white that she had been drawn into. That fact became even more real as the man turned, revealing his glowing crimson eye. It was striking at first, with the only other hints of red in the white plains being the smears of dried blood in the distance and the man's bloody wounds.

The man stared at Nergigante, his crimson eye scanning her own yellow orbs for something she couldn't begin to imagine. She felt her body unconsciously shrink before his gaze and her knees bent, lowering her into a kneeling position at the man's metal booted feet. She hadn't even recognized the action until her hands were on the white marble floor, revealing that even her scales had been stripped of color and reduced to a deep black.

"Et venerunt. Bonum."

The man's voice was strange as it rang out through the silent plains of white. It echoed before and after the words had been spoken, as if the future itself longed to hear him speak. Nergigante tore her gaze away from her now inky black scales, looking up at the man with expectation, curiosity and confusion in her eyes. The man had turned to face her fully, once again confirming that the Dragonking Eyepatch was missing.

Nergigante felt her stomach and heart lurch at the sight of the man's bloodied eyesocket, devoid of an eye and only replaced by blood that was much darker in color compared to the other open wounds on his body. The blood from his missing eye trailed down onto his cheek, just barely grazing the side of his mouth. He still bore the mustache and soul patch that Eclipsen did, but it was stained slightly by blood, muddying the pristine white it normally was.

A flittering movement to her left drew a quick glance from Nergigante and she noticed that the black waist cloth was still billowing in an absent wind.

"Sto, maioris expresserant. Volo loqui tecum."

The man spoke again, his voice slicing through the quiet environment like a sharpened blade and echoing even further like the roar of a great animal. Nergigante didn't recognize the language he spoke in, but for something deep inside her understood. Her body moved before her mind could process it again, standing slowly to meet the man's eye level. Nergigante scanned his face, trying hard to ignore the bloody mess that made up his left eye and find some sign of emotion. She found none.

Nergigante let out a shaky breath once she realized that she had been holding air in her lungs since she found herself in this place. She wanted to ask so many questions, but the one that pervaded her mind only demanded to know who the man was. The man's face shifted ever so slightly with the tiniest raising of his right eyebrow. The vivid crimson color of his eyes flickered too quickly for Nergigante to conciously notice, instead only registering as a feeling of unease. The echo of his voice bounced through the area before his lips even moved, once again reverberating through the white plains like an explosion.

"Quis ego sum, non res. Quid ego tibi hic, quod nempe sit id quod est magni momenti."

Once again, Nergigante didn't know what the man said, but for some reason it felt like she knew the meaning of them regardless of the difference in language. The man remained silent for a moment, scanning Nergigante in the same way she was observing him; looking for any trace of emotion or a reaction. It seemed that neither of them found anything, because the man then raised a hand and lifted his index finger, not even bothering to react to the stretching of his open wounds, and spoke again.

"Eclipsen hominem dixeris. Qui mos postulo vestri auxilium cito. Omnia possum destruere feci ipsum et detinebant illum ne studiis teneri omnia feci eum."

Nergigante had a hard time wrapping her head around the combination of the foreign language and the echoes that came before and after the man spoke, but her soul seemed to understand fully. This person was an enigma, but Nergigante was invested in what he had to say. The man then lowered his raised hand and offered it. Nergigante responded by reaching out and taking his hand out of courtesy. The man's expression didn't change even slightly as he raised his other arm and pointed towards the deep pit that was behind him.

"Tempus est ad me, ut dimittas eum, et ad eum lux de me. Qui autem irascatur Dominus, ad primum. Sed omne ibi est opus ad facere. Deinde, ut se perdidit. Vos postulo ut dirigeret viam eius egredietur de labore suo. Et omne quod illi tenuit, omne passus est culpam suam, et omnem animam suam in iniustitia quam operatus fuerit, dimittentur ei et vera luceant potential mos."

Finally, Nergigante's body found the will to do more than just stand idly while the man talked. Her lips opened and an echo rang out before her own voice met the air. The sound that came out of her mouth repeated the same query that had been plaguing her mind.

"Who are you?"

She asked, her confusion and slight desperation audible in the single word she had uttered. The man turned his head and looked at her once more before offering his left hand. Nergigante glanced at the appendage for a moment before taking it, allowing the man to gently shake both of her hands in a friendly motion.

"Like I said, it does not matter. All that matters is that you be there for him."

Nergigante knew who the man was referring to; Eclipsen. It was already obvious from the mention of his name in the words of that strange language and combined with Nergigante's eery ability to understand the unknown words.

"How?"

She asked, her voice cracking partly thanks to it being her second time using it and the anxiety that was creeping into her. Why did she need to be there for Eclipsen? How did this man know so much? The man shook her hands gently once more, placing a thumb on the back of her knuckles in a reassuring manner.

"Do what you have already decided to do. Uphold the ideals and goals he has given you. Follow in his footsteps and guide his way. When he wakes he will be different. But you, O Black Arrow, will cut the way to his future."

Nergigante opened her mouth to ask another question, but before her voice could leave her throat a wall of heat smacked into both of them. Nergigante recoiled at the sudden heat in her face while the man simply looked over his shoulder at the large pit. He let go of Nergigante's hands and turned, facing the large marble abyss with a brave posture.

Nergigante quickly shook away the shock of the heat colliding with her face, watching in disbelief as the man took a few steps toward the edge of the pit. He glanced down the large circular hole before taking a step back, turning to address the Elder Dragon one more time.

"Our time is up, Black Arrow. Remember, all you need to do is move forward. Prove that you are a hero."

Nergigante could only watch as a hue of red climbed up the walls of the marble pit along with a wall of even hotter air. Small smoldering ashes floated up out of the pit, giving the air a familiar scent. Memories of the last nightmare she had flashed back into Nergigante's mind, along with the image of the giant dragon bound by hooks and nails.

The man simply faced the pit and extended his arms, forcing some of the accumulated blood from his wounds to drip and hit the marble ground. The sheer heat from the pit then made the droplets of crimson sizzle and burn as they met the white floor. The man opened his mouth and let out a quiet sigh before he spoke once more, his voice echoing even louder than before.

"Venit porro, Qui Deum! Vestra procella odio consumat hoc vas pudor! Sit reliqua vulnera sanari per lumen spei! I offer you my life, so that the future can exist!"

Nergigante lifted her arms to shield her face and body from the scalding hot wind that was pouring out of the pit, watching as more embers flew into the white sky. Smoke billowed out and began to stain the sky black, the image of the dark miasma once again invoking the memory of that dragon in Nergigante's head.

A roar came screaming out of the pit, making the air vibrate in it's wake. It was the same roar as the dragon in the nightmare. Nergigante forgot about her wellbeing as she reached out for the man, hoping to pull him away before something horrible happened.

Before she could grab and pull the man away, the dragon erupted from the pit. It's claws anchored it to the side of the pit and held it upright as it reared it's head into the sky, letting out a vicious and ear bursting howl. Nergigante recoiled as the sound tore hell through her head, making her stumble backwards as a result of the assault her eardums were enduring.

Then, just as abruptly, the roar ended. Nergigante looked up just in time to see the maw of the very familiar dragon open like a vice and come crashing down on the man, eating him whole.

A horrible sound rang out as the dream turned nightmare ended.


	26. Chapter 25

Hey everyone! Incoming chapter!

The Megaevolved Pony: Oh no indeed.

Touhoufanatic: Definitely. I've only had one like that once in my entire life. I drew on it for inspiration.

Raime063AN: Good observations. Like I said before, Fatalis does impact pretty much everything around it, so who's to say a hunter isn't included? The theory is great too, but I can't really share anything cuz spoilers. Oops.

Luine Mercury LWG: Oooh that theory is a good one. Fatalis taking the form of Eclipsen is a serious implication though, so what do you think it might mean? Also, the name you've been waiting for is right here in this chapter. Are you ready?

And with that, Onward with the Story!

* * *

Nergigante awoke doing something she had never done in her human form; screaming.

She gripped Eclipsen's pillow like a life line as she was ripped away from the horrible nightmare that had ravaged her mind, her voice echoing through the room like a church bell that was way too loud for it's own good.

She quickly closed her mouth as she realized the sound she was making, burying her face into Eclipsen's pillow with a tear filled grimace. She gritted her teeth as the terror and unease lingering from the nightmare continued to torment her, with the flashing memories of the strange man being swallowed continuing to dig their way through her mind.

But that was not what had woken Nergigante from her sleep. Instead, the noise of the Council horn had broken her from her nightmare with it's heavy, loud sounds. It had also masked Nergigante's scream, which she found somewhat comforting. Showing fear was still something she strived to avoid as an Elder Dragon.

She squeezed the pillow in her arms tighter as everything from the dream rushed back. It was a difficult to endure the feeling of unease and terror that was wreaking havoc in her system, but she wasn't about to crumble under a strange dream. The fact that the man resembled Eclipsen was like another dagger to the heart, but she countered it by thinking about the real version of him. Eclipsen was safe in the medical ward, as far as she knew.

The thought of Eclipsen safe and recovering in a bed began to dispel the echoes of dread in her system, allowing her to slowly gather her thoughts and feelings. After a second of listening to the Council horn's loud call and collecting herself, Nergigante pulled her face from the pillow. She felt new drive and determination replace the terror as she recalled the words the man had said to her.

His words rang true. She had made a promise to herself that she would follow in Eclipsen's wake and do what needed to be done, and the sound of the Council horn was the first sign that the New World would accommodate that promise.

Nergigante gently placed Eclipsen's pillow on his side of the bed before throwing the blankets off herself.

Today she would begin to fulfill that promise. For herself, the man in the dream and Eclipsen.

She quickly looked down at herself though and realized that she was once again nude. She looked over, seeing that her clothing had been taken off and tossed aside before she fell asleep. Nergigante sighed and slowly got out of bed, wondering how humans managed to cope with having to put on clothing every day.

-Transition-

The Commander sighed as he looked at the soaked map of the New World and the dry reports that sat at the bottom of the map. Each report detailed sightings of Elder Dragons, two of which were seen roaming around the Elder's Recess. It didn't surprise the Commander at all that the sudden disappearance of Nergigante from the ecosystem brought Elder Dragons running back to their home, he just didn't expect it to happen within a days time.

The Council Table was empty, save for the Huntsman, the Field Team Leader and the Commander himself. It wouldn't stay that way for long, as the Argosy Captain and Lead Researchers would be arriving soon. They were the closest the Council Table after all. The Third Fleet Master on the other hand would take at least an hour to arrive, since the Third Fleet Headquarters was in the sky rather than on the ground.

"Grandfather, how will we deal with the Elder Dragons with Eclipsen out of the picture?"

The Field Team Leader's voice was quiet as he asked the question. It was obvious that the topic of Eclipsen's injuries was a sore one, as the Field Team Leader had fostered a friendship with the Hunter. The Commander looked at his grandson before leaning forward and placing his hands on the still damp council table. He noted that they really should set up a tarp for nights like the last one.

"It won't be easy, but the team that just arrived are all Elite Old World Hunters. They will handle this just fine."

The Commander said. He knew that Angela and the rest of that team would take care of the problem in record time, as anyone who had faced a Shagaru Magala and prevailed would be more than skilled enough to battle other Elder Dragons. He heard the sound of the Huntsman's newly repaired armor clinking as he moved, which was followed by a question from the Huntsman himself.

"What about Nergigante? What's our next move with her?"

The Commander straightened and turned to face the Huntsman, adopting his signature crossed arms as he did so. He stared at the Huntsman's visor for a moment as he thought about his next decision. The Commander then looked downward at the soaked planks of wood that made up the floor and stared at them.

"Eclipsen said he wanted to take her out on a hunt with him. To see what she would do and how loyal she was to us. I think it's time to see just what she will do in the field."

The Commander finally said, the hesitation in his voice hidden by his military trained confident tone. The Huntsman shifted in his seat while the Field Team Leader gave his grandfather a slightly disbelieving look.

"You're going to let her out on a hunt?"

The nervousness was clear in the Field Team Leader's voice, which drew the Commander's gaze. The two studied each other for a second, trying to gleam something from each other's expressions. Eventually, the Commander answered his grandson's question.

"Yes. I think it's time we let her out of the cage, so to speak. There's a reason why we don't capture Elder Dragons."

The Commander's firm answer made the Field Team Leader nod in agreement. If the legends around Shrade and the Ancient Civilization were to be believed, then capturing Elder Dragons was a very, very bad idea. The Huntsman's armor made more clinking sounds as he spoke next.

"But do you trust her?"

The Commander leveled a slight glare at the Huntsman as he saw the Field Team Leader look back at him, a new point of worry shining in the young man's eyes. The Huntsman greeted the Commander's stare with his own, his emotions hidden behind the visor that covered his head. The Commander then sent his glare towards the floorboards again. He sometimes hated how he couldn't see the Huntsman's expression.

"Eclipsen trusted her, so I find no reason not to trust her either. We'll need all the help we can get. What about you? Do you think it's a good idea?"

The Commander shot back at the Huntsman with his own query. The old hunter stared for a second before lifting his right leg and resting it on his knee, answering as he did so.

"I will make my own assessment. This will be an opportunity to see just how effective she is in battle."

The Field Team Leader found the courage to smile slightly at the statement, quickly opening his mouth and throwing a verbal jab at the Huntsman.

"Your priorities confuse me, Master."

The Commander shared the Field Team Leader's grin as the old hunter sent a "harrumph" their way.

"You'll understand one day, boy."

The Commander and his grandson shared a chuckle at the Huntsman's crass statement, along with the slight elevation in pitch in the older hunter's voice.

But they were broken from their light-hearted moment by the sound of familiar, clawed footsteps towards the Council Table. The Commander and Field Team Leader turned, finding Nergigante herself approaching the table. Her posture was relaxed and somewhat tired, but something about it told the Commander that she was tired of waiting around in Astera.

She offered a nod in greeting to the three men, which the Commander and his grandson returned. The Huntsman remained silent and made no move to respond, only staring quietly at the Elder Dragon. The Commander took a step towards the table and glanced down at the reports on the table. It them occurred to him that Nergigante might not be able to read, but it was a problem easily fixed by the presence of the many researchers, some of which had even taught others in the Old World.

"Nergigante. It's good that you came, we were going to involve you during this meeting."

The Commander stated plainly as he watched Nergigante. She nodded again before looking down at the soaked map on the table. Her eyebrows furrowed and a frown grew on her face before she titled her head, supposedly in an attempt to read the map. While she could read the lettering just fine, Nergigante found it hard to read the map while it was upside down.

The Field Team Leader offered a concerned glance at his grandfather, who only shrugged. It would take some time for the rest of the Council to arrive anyway, so it would be a good experience for all three to get used to the presence of the Elder Dragon. Or at least, that's what the Commander thought.

Not even a minute after Nergigante arrived, the sound of Tony's leather footwraps approached the table. The Chief Botanist stared nervously at Nergigante as he walked over to his usual Council seat and sat down. He looked at Nergigante for a few more seconds before directing his attention to the clipboard in his hands. Apparently, the work of a botanist was never done.

Next to arrive was the Analytics Director, who paid no mind to Nergigante as he checked some of his papers while walking to his own spot. He seemed to be deep in thought as he jotted down variables and results in record time. Nergigante likewise ignored him as she continued to study the map of the New World.

The next three to arrive were the Provisions Manager, the Argosy Captain and the Head Smith. The old Smith leveled an unreadable look at Nergigante as he passed, and she offered him an apologetic one in turn. The Commander watched the interaction, his interest growing as the two proceeded to go back to what they were doing.

"Sorry I'm late! Had a rough night."

Hether said as she jogged up to the Council table. Her hair was slightly messy and she had forgotten her eyeglass goggles. It was apparent to the entire group that the night beforehand had hit the poor Handler hard. She still looked ready as ever though, which was a point of strength that everyone could count on. No matter what happened, Hether wouldn't give up.

"It's quite alright. I was actually going to ask you to retrieve the team that arrived yesterday. They're vital for our next operation."

"Yes sir! They're probably still sleeping. I'll go grab them and be right back!"

Hether answered with gusto and took off like a woman with a mission. Nergigante watched with a slight smile on her face as the Handler jogged up the stairs towards the Smithy. Nergigante noticed that she was beginning to enjoy Hether's attitude. It was nice to always have somebody around who can be happy and bubbly, even in the worst of times.

The Commander turned and looked to the sky, noticing a small air balloon slowly floating into Astera. The familiar figure of the Third Fleet Master waved from inside the riding basket of the balloon while another helpful worker tossed a line to catch a nearby docking pole. All things considered, it had taken less time for the Wyverian researcher to arrive than the Commander thought it would.

The Third Fleet Master was quick in exiting her air transport and walking over to the Council Table. As she reached the small steps that led up to the table, she noticed Nergigante and her eyes widened with curiosity. The Wyverian woman took a step forward and reached for Nergigante's left wing before being stopped by the sound of the Commander clearing his throat.

The Third Fleet Master leveled a glare at the older man as he gestured towards her seat with head. The two stared each other down as the Third Fleet Master walked over to her spot and once she reached it, she pulled out her smoking pipe and quickly lit it, taking a long puff to relieve her new sourness towards the Commander.

Meanwhile, Nergigante had noticed none of the interaction, including the near contact the Third Fleet Master had with her wing. Though in reality, Nergigante had opted to ignore the woman entirely in favor of studying the map of the New World.

"They should be here in a little bit Commander. They were just waking up when I barged in."

Hether said as she walked back up to the Council Table. She was winded from her run to and from the team's room and the table, and Nergigante offered a pat on the shoulder as comfort. The Handler look over and nodded in thanks at the Elder Dragon before going back to taking deep breaths.

"Good. Once they're here, we will start the meeting."

The Commander stated, his eyes glued to the reports on the table. The presence of more Elder Dragons made him truly nervous despite the team of Elite Hunters that had arrived. Any Elder Dragon could easily level Astera in rage if they were left to their own devices, but that was the worst scenario in his opinion. All he could do was hope that Eclipsen recovered in time to have a last line of defence should if it happened anyway.

The sound of a group of heavy footsteps drew the attention of the entirety of the Council, and it was like watching embodiments of skill, experience, power and knowledge flaunt their achievements. Nina in her full male Ceadeus gear walked alongside Fabien who's head was still hidden behind his Gore Magala helmet. Richard and Angela were the only ones not wearing headgear, but their armor was polished and shining in the light.

The Huntsman made an audible 'hmph' sound in recognition of their strength, which made even the Commander impressed. Not many could draw that kind of reaction from the Huntsman, and if these four could do it then it only proved just how skilled they were.

"Sorry Commander, had a hard time getting out of bed."

Angela said as she walked up to the Council Table and handed her written report over to the older man. The Commander nodded in thanks as he took the paper from across the table and he set it next to the reports that were already on the wood.

"Good. Now that everyone's here, let's begin."

With that, an air of seriousness gripped the table as the Commander lifted one of the reports off the table and presented it. Nergigante focused on the paper and her yellow eyes were able to read most of it. Angela took a spot next to Nergigante whole Richard, Nina and Fabien took seats on the barrels next to the railing.

"In the past few days, we've received evidence of Elder Dragon activity in the New World. I thought we could nip the problem in the bud by removing Nergigante from the ecosystem, but the exact opposite has happened. Elder Dragons are rushing back into their old homes now that Nergigante is no longer there, and it's wreaking havoc on the environment."

Angela took a step forward, her eyes carrying nothing but focus as she spoke. The Council listened intently as she did so, which struck Nergigante as friendly and open minded. The Elder Dragon listened closely as well.

"Where exactly have these Elder Dragons been spotted?"

The Commander nodded slightly and leaned forward, pointing towards the Elder's Recess on the map of the New World. Nergigante watched like a hawk as he pointed, memorizing the look of the map.

"In an area known as the Elder's Recess. Nergigante made it her home while she was hunting for other Elders to eat, but they cleared out as soon as she arrived."

The Analytics Director spoke next, holding out his paper full of evidence for the rest of the Council to see.

"So far, from the tracks we've collected, we've narrowed it down to three Elder Dragons so far. Emphasis on 'so far'".

Angela nodded before leaning forward, placing her hands on the table. It was clear she was yearning for a fight, as her posture was tight and ready for action.

"Alright, so what exactly are we dealing with?"

The Field Team Leader took a step forward and pointed to one of the other reports on the table before talking.

"From our reports, it looks like we have a Teostra, Kushala Daora and a completely new species of Elder Dragon."

Angela made a confused and curious face before asking another question.

"New species? How so?"

The Third Fleet Master blew out a puff of smoke from her pipe before stepping toward and lifting the third report off the table. The Commander noticed that Nergigante's expression had gone from focussed to slightly angry from what he could tell, and he noted that she was reading the report that the Third Fleet Master was presenting.

"Indeed. The tracks found by the Field Team are completely unlike anything we've seen before. Long fingers with curled, thin claws and evidence of the Effluvium in the Rotten Vale being tampered with. Not to mention the decayed and tainted flesh we've found lying around. Normally that kind of meat would have been eaten by carrions in seconds, but it's just been left to rot."

Angela moved her eyes somewhere else and her expression shifted to deep thought. Nergigante lowered her gaze, allowing the shadows cast by her horns to mask her expression. Hether gave a worried look to both of them as the Commander continued.

"We've decided that we need to solve this issue as quickly as possible, so I'll be asking for help from your team, Angela."

Angela looked up at the Commander and gave a solid nod, her eyes holding a burning fire within them.

"Understood. Just tell us who to hunt and we'll get it done."

The Commander nodded before addressing the entire Council, his crossed arms and pose providing Nergigante with an excellent look at what a human leader was supposed to look like.

"Good. First, we'll have teams of two hunt the first two Elder Dragons, and a third team will investigate this new Elder Dragon in the Rotten Vale. Angela, I'll let you decide how you think this should be handled."

Angela looked back at the three other hunters who nodded with purpose back at her. Richard had a look of pure and utter determination which Angela smirked at. She knew that look, and she knew how to use that focus. Angela then look back at the Commander and began to state her plan.

"Richard and Nina will handle the Kushala Daora. They have the most experience and skill with fighting wind manipulation. Fabien and I will take the Teostra. It'll be a cake walk for us."

"I will go with them to hunt the Teostra. I won't miss this opportunity."

The Huntsman's gruff voice echoed from behind the table, drawing a wider smirk from Angela.

"We'd be happy to have you along, old timer."

The statement made the Huntsman give another huff, drawing slight chuckles from the rest of the Council. The Commander nodded before speaking.

"Good. But that leaves one missing piece."

"We don't have an extra team to investigate the third Elder Dragon."

Hether finished for him, a look of worry on her face. The Commander nodded and the Council fell silent. If Eclipsen had not been injured, he could have handled the mission all on his own.

The table remained silent for a while, a slight air of depression snaking it's way into the atmosphere. Nergigante's claws gently dug into the table as she had to endure the silence, and her teeth itched to bite something.

Now was her chance.

"I'll do it."

The whole of Astera seemed to go silent as those words were spoken. The voice was unfamiliar and certainly not from anyone around the Council Table. Except maybe for the one who nobody expected to speak in the first place.

Nergigante looked around the Council with determined, burning yellow eyes. Her reptilian pupils seemed to bite through everyone, wether or not they wanted to be looked at by her. The Commander, Third Fleet Master and Eclipsen's old hunting partners stood silent, their shock visible on their faces.

The silence reigned for a moment before the Commander took a step forward, growing closer to the edge of the table as he did so.

"Could you repeat that?"

He asked. His tone wasn't offended, nor was it forceful. It seemed more like a polite request. Nergigante's stare centered on him before her lips moved once more. This time, everyone listened like hawks as the unfamiliar voice spoke again.

"I said I'll do it. You have nobody else qualified for the task, correct? Then I'll do it."

She paused and took a quick breath, and the Council table stayed silent for long enough for her to continue her words.

"You humans have given me a great deal, and Eclipsen has shown me what you humans should be. It's time that I give back to you all, and sitting around waiting for you all to handle your problems will not do that. I offer you my knowledge, my skills, even my old body as materials if you want them. So please, allow this to be my first step to repaying you."

The Council let that statement and request soak in to the fullest, with many among the table staring in disbelief at Nergigante's speech. Her voice was difficult to describe, as her voice-box was still seemingly unused to actual words. The best description that anybody could give is that it sounded like a middle aged soldier woman who had seen too much already. Yet it also carried an air of bestial nature and cunning behind it.

A light chuckle from the Commander drew the attention of everyone at the table as if went from a chuckle to an outright laugh. Two unexpected things in a day was having quite the impact on the Council as they stared on like Kelbi's caught in a Rathalos' line of fire.

"Well then, can't refuse an offer like that, can we? Nergigante, I'll allow you to take Eclipsen's place for now until he's ready to hunt again. But before that, you need a name besides just Nergigante."

Nergigante eyed the Commander for a moment. She found human names quite useless as a monster, as scent, tracks and behavior already spoke of what wasn't needed. But she wasn't a monster anymore.

"Call me whatever you wish."

"No, that's not how this works. It's your name, you choose it."

The Commander quickly shut down Nergigante's attempt at worming out if the situation. She didn't know anything about human names, and she hadn't ever required one in the wild, so Nergigante was at a loss for words. She directed her gaze downward and focused for a second, thinking of anything she could call herself.

And a name popped up in her head. She didn't remember where she heard it, but she knew it was important somehow. And that fact was enough for her to make her decision.

"Call me Nergal."

The Commander smiled as the Council absorbed the new information they had been given. The Head Smith, despite nobody noticing, cracked a smile at the situation.

The Analytics Director noted that the name 'Nergal' had belonged to a deity from the Ancient Civilization, which made him write down a note to investigate the name further on the corner of his papers.

"Now that you've volunteered Nergal, I'd like to hear your opinion."

The Commander said. The newly named Nergal looked back at him, some confusion in her face.

"I'm sorry?"

"Come on now. You ate other Elder Dragons as a monster, so who better to ask for advice?"

Nergal nodded. It was a fair point. She knew Teostra and Kushala Daora's weaknesses, behavior and even edible meats inside and out. She quickly ran over the plan that had been decided on, looking for any holes in the strategy. There weren't many concerning the first two Elder Dragons, but the third...

"If I may Commander, I have a proposal."

Nergal said, drawing the attention of everybody in the Council. They looked at the Commander who gestured for her to continue.

"Go ahead."

Nergal nodded and the Council listened intently as she leaned forward, her words becoming more and more valuable as they listened.

"I want to try handling this third Elder Dragon peacefully."

Everyone paused for a moment to process what they had just heard. The Commander gave Nergal a look of confusion.

"Could you elaborate?"

He asked, his own curiosity audible in his voice. The Third Fleet Master gently plucked Tony's clipboard out of his hands and pulling a writing quill out of her robes. This was going to be interesting. Nergal leaned into the table and began, her eyes only showing focus and intelligence behind them.

"While I was hunting the Teostra you've spotted, I flew over what you call the Rotten Vale. I made I quick stop there to rest my wings and I noticed that the Elder Dragon residing there had not moved beyond a specific area of the Vale. I went to investigate and eat this Elder Dragon, but by the time I found it's nest it had retreated."

"What makes you think it can be reasoned with?"

The Commander asked, practically speaking for the rest of the Council members.

"The Elder Dragon in the Rotten Vale isn't actively hostile, just territorial. It didn't encroach on any other monster's territory, and they didn't invade it's territory either. There is a... What do you humans call it?"

Nergal asked. The Huntsman was the one to answer, shifting in his seat as he did so. It seemed that his own interest in the meeting had grown thanks to Nergal's speech.

"Respect?"

"Yes, a mutual respect between that Elder Dragon and her environment."

The Third Fleet Master raised and eyebrow as she finished jotting down a few notes. This expanse of wisdom from the Elder Dragon was incredibly interesting to the Wyverian woman, and it seemed that Nergal had become a bottomless pit of mystery and learning.

"Her?"

Nergal nodded in response before answering, gently making small hand motions with her left arm while her right remained on the table.

"Yes. The Elder Dragon in the Rotten Vale is female. I could tell from the scent of her lair. And judging from that scent, she's also hundreds of years old and was born right here in the New World."

The Commander spoke next, sending his own question back at Nergal.

"That still doesn't explain how you plan to peacefully resolve the situation."

Nergal gave the Commander a look that said 'are you stupid?' Before she began to explain. The Third Fleet Master continued to jot down notes that she felt would be helpful towards her research as well as other researchers in the Third Fleet.

"We monsters communicate through body language, scent and activity. You would be surprised to learn just how much you can discover about a monster simply from where it decides to nest. I'll make my presence known and wait just outside it's territory until it's ready to investigate. Then I'll do my best to make it look like I'm not a threat, and hopefully that will help me communicate that we want peace."

The Council nodded as they realized how the plan would work. Nergal look around before speaking once more.

"But there is a flaw in that plan."

Angela was the one to ask her own question this time, crossing her arms as she did so.

"How so?"

Nergal looked at her before continuing. Angela listened intently, seemingly more than interested in learning exactly where the flaw was in the plan.

"The presence of the Teostra and Kushala Daora would make it too skiddish and wary for it to come out. You'll have to get rid of those two first."

The Commander nodded in response while Angela accepted the information in stride. The Third Fleet Master raised her finger one more time and spoke, drawing Nergal's full attention.

"Why do we have to rely on the third Elder Dragon for a peaceful solution? Why can't we try your method on the Teostra or the Kushala?"

Nergal answered matter-of-factly, her knowledge of the other Elder Dragons she had hunted and her personal experiences with them slowly becoming more and more enlightening for the Council.

"Because Teostra are too prideful. They never give any other monster any kind of breathing room, let alone an alliance. Kushala Daora are too hateful of humans for it to work with a hunter, and they are too territorial for it to work with another monster."

The Commander looked down at the map of the New World, his thoughts scrambled slightly from the revelation that Nergal could talk and the strategy that she had proposed. He sighed through his nose before looking up at the Elder Dragon, his eyes narrowing before he answered.

"It's worth a try. But what do you expect to gain from making an alliance with this Elder Dragon?"

Nergal cracked a wicked smile that made some of the Council shift in their spots, she then continued with her plan.

"Knowledge. Forewarning. This monster was born here in the New World, so she would be far more attuned to it than you, me, or even the Field Team Leader. She could warn us about things that we wouldn't see coming until it was right on top of us."

The Commander rolled the idea over in his head one more time. A warning of coming events would be a solid and distinct advantage and an opportunity to perform evacuation procedures should it be something they couldn't prevent. Not to mention it would please the Third Fleet immensely if their research into the Rotten Vale was permitted and back by an Elder Dragon.

He nodded before giving his answer.

"Then it's settled. Angela, you and your team will eliminate the Teostra and Kushala Daora, then Nergal will attempt to make contact with the Elder Dragon in the Rotten Vale. Nergal, is there a time frame we should be aware of?"

Nergal shook her head at the question while Angela was visibly excited, as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"No. If we want to make sure that the Elder Dragon will respond, we should take care of the Kushala this week and the Teostra the next. It will give us all enough to time to prepare and for the Elder Dragon in the Vale to notice their disappearance."

The Commander nodded and looked around at the entire Council Table, addressing them all.

"Hear that? We're fighting Elder Dragons here, people. We have to be at the top of our game. Do what you have to, but we need to get this team ready to take them on. Head Smith?"

"Aye?"

"Double time on all orders. We need everyone outfitted if something goes wrong. Make sure Nergal's armor is extra tough in case her plan falls through. Everybody else?"

The Council sat in suspense as the Commander leaned forward.

"Get ready for war."


	27. Chapter 26

Hey Everyone! Once again, I am incredibly sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I don't really have an excuse beyond the fact that writing anything recently has been exhausting and that I need to get back into the writing groove.

I hope you guys can forgive me for the long wait time for this chapter, as part of it was the recent release of the Alatreon update for Monster Hunter World. If I didn't have writing material before, I definitely have some now.

Anyway, on with the reviews!

taimurpro: Well, I'm happy I portrayed them as glorious. Nergal is amazing, and who knows that mysteries she has in that noggin of hers. Eclipsen isn't the ultra badass that I would've made him out to be, but then we wouldn't have such a gripping story.

Hunter Zickafoose: She was already able to understand it, so why wouldn't she be able to speak it? Plus, just between you and me, it was difficult to write a mute character without sign language being involved.

freddy.lane.1: I assume somewhere along the lines of confusion. Who knows, maybe he'll wake up, say he's tired and go right back to sleep!

Raime063AN: Having a double take scene was nice because Nergigante can be intimidating and I wouldn't want to be the one to interrupt one's speech. All planned in (hopefully) due time my friend. Shamir isn't a bad example, but I was thinking a tiny bit more rugged to fit the Amazon body. Nergal will get to shine soon, and Eclipsen will have a lot in store for him considering most of Astera is worried.

UnkownSoul: Gotcha didn't I? Now we wait and see if the strategy works. For all we know, Vaal could tell Nergal to stuff it.

Touhoufanatic: Eh. I thought it fit really well considering one of the Nergigante weapons is called the Nergal Ram. Maybe. Perhaps Nergal will punch some poor hunter in the face?

Luine Mercury LWG: Hey, the names you came up with are very fitting. They just didn't sit right with me though. In all honesty I was considering using one of yours if I couldn't choose one in time. Also yeah. If I can walk right past a Vaal Hazak in the game then I doubt it would just attack anyone for no reason. Lightning Pony may be getting a chapter, I don't really know yet.

Dryptonium: Hey, I'm just glad it counts as a gem! Also welcome to the world of Fanfiction, where there are good, bad, and just ugly stories.

LeozinPS: Maybe.

knightofthewintermoon: I feel ya. I feel the same way for Nargacuga honestly. Also tell your friends that "I won't lose the arm if I shove you in the way instead".

Onward with the Story!

* * *

"Dismissed!"

The Commander's voice was like a whip and every Council member reacted like a trained muscle, quickly departing to make sure their jobs were taken care of and ready to help the team assigned to deal with the Elder Dragons.

The Third Fleet Master, Head Smith and Commander remained at the table alongside Nergal and Hether, with Nergal staying to learn more about hunting, her Guild Card and to discuss her armor with the Head Smith.

"Now, on to the next step. Hether, I want you to teach Nergal the basics of taking and completing quests. Help her with her Guild Card and teach her what you know about danger rankings and the Hunter's Notes."

The Commander said. He had shifted from polite asking to ordering, as he had fallen into his usual Military training mentality. Hether nodded with feeling as she received her orders.

"Yes sir! It'll be done in a jiffy!"

The Commander turned to the Third Fleet Master, who was still holding Tony's clipboard. He had unfortunately forgotten, or was simply too afraid to take it back from the Wyverian woman.

"Third Fleet?"

"Nergal dear, would you be comfortable with letting us take research samples from you?"

The Third Fleet Master asked sweetly. While it sent a chill down Hether and the Head Smith's spines, Nergal and the Commander remained steadfast with the Elder Dragon in question raising an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Research samples?"

"Shedded spines, scales, a sample of your hair and blood. Very par for the course for you, but absolutely vital to us."

Nergal contemplated the request for a moment. She could give up her spines, hair and scales, but her blood? How would they even manage to remove it from her without cutting her? Truthfully, she was curious to see how this Third Fleet would do it.

"I don't see why not."

Nergal answered, giving a shrug. The Third Fleet Master smiled even brighter, this time genuinely and beautifully.

"Thank you, dear. I'll go grab the medical equipment, if you don't mind staying here for a moment?"

"Not at all."

The Third Fleet Master nodded in thanks before speed walking over to the air balloon she had a arrived in, her robes swishing side to side just as excitedly as her body itself. It was clear that she was happy to to have gotten the answer she did.

Nergal turned her attention to the Head Smith, who returned her gaze with an unreadable one.

"I-"

"Before ye' begin, we've already forgiven ya'. I understand yer' hate of Monster armor, and rightfully so. I won't make a big deal out of it, Lass."

Nergal let out a visible sigh of relief at the words. She guilt she had felt claw it's way into her heart was almost sickening, and the revelation that she had been forgiven was like taking a breath of air after being underwater for hours.

"As fer' yer armor, well it's gonna take a few days. Minimum is four days, since we gotta reinforce it now. But bright side is, ye' don't have to upgrade it like other hunters do."

Nergal nodded in thanks as the Third Fleet Master returned, a medical bag dangling from her shoulder. The Head Smith looked at the Commander and Hether before getting up from his seat. He gave a friendly nod to all three before moving to leave.

"You ladies have yer' fun. I got weapons and armor ta' work on!"

He said enthusiastically as he left, a visible pep in his step. Nergal offered a smile while Hether giggled a little at the older man's display. The Third Fleet Master set her medical bag on the Council Table and pointed to a nearby stool.

"Would you bring that chair over here and sit on it please?"

Nergal nodded and walked over, lifting the stool effortlessly and moving over to where the Wyverian woman asked her to. She then took a seat, being careful to keep her tail from being caught beneath her and letting it rest on the wooden floor. The Third Fleet Master rumaged around in her medical bag, pulling out a syringe, a few test tubes and a pair of scissors.

She then turned on her heel, scissors in hand and approached Nergal, who watched with curiosity.

"First, hair sample darling. Would you like me to cut your hair while I'm at it?"

"Oh! I can do that!"

Hether said with excitement. The Third Fleet Master sent a smile towards Hether who returned it with no small amount of happiness. Nergal only sighed slightly.

"I wouldn't know the first thing about it. If you wish, you can make it so it isn't so warm on my head."

Hether let out an tiny, excited squeal and clapped her hands gently while the Third Fleet Master quickly snipped a small piece of hair from Nergal's bangs. The draconic woman flinched at the swift movements of the Fleet Master, watching as the tuft of hair that fell from her head dropped gently into one of the four test tubes she had brought out of her bag.

"Done. Now for one of your spines, dear."

Nergal looked at the Third Fleet Master with a deadpan expression before her wing extended and swiveled forward, the spines ever so slightly shifting in their malleable roots. Nergal then reached over, quite forcefully gripped one of the whiter spines and pulled, tearing the pale keratin from it's resting place. Hether looked on in slight horror as she watched the entire action while the Third Fleet Master gingerly set down the next test tube and grabbed the abandoned clipboard, jotting down a note.

Nergal sighed as she offered the broken spine, ignoring the slight itch in the place where it used to be. The Third Fleet Master set down the clipboard and picked up the test tube, holding it out for the Elder Dragon to place the spike inside. Nergal did so, letting the spike fall out of her hand and making a 'clink' sound as it hit the bottom of the tube. The Third Fleet Master smiled at the collected sample before looking at Nergal's wing, which had retracted back to it's original folded position.

"Can you still fly dear?"

The Third Fleet Master asked as she placed the test tube back down next to the tube filled with hair and lifted the next one. Her other hand reached for the syringe, which she inspected in the light for a moment before removing the sterile cap. Nergal watched with interest as the Third Fleet Master prepared the needle.

"I haven't found out yet. I assume I still can. If I can't, then I don't really have a use for them."

The Third Fleet Master nodded as she approached Nergal with the needle, quickly inspecting the Elder Dragon's arm for a soft spot in her scales. As soon as she found one, she gently poked the needle underneath one of Nergal's scales and extracted the blood from her arm. Nergal watched with morbid curiosity as her blood slowly filled the syringe, making sure to actually notice the painful prick of the needle. Normally such a pain wouldn't have even interested her, but now it seemed incredibly real.

And less than a second later, the Wyverian woman pulled the needle from under the scales and injected the crimson fluid within into the vial she had prepared. She then corked the vial and placed it next to the others before pulling the needle from the syringe and placing it in a separate pouch of her bag labeled 'waste disposal'. Nergal meanwhile watched as small lines of blood trickled from underneath her scales.

She then realized what had happened and reached up, tearing a sleeve off her shirt and using it to staunch the admittedly non-worrying bleeding. The Third Fleet Master then lifted all four vials she had brought with her and pulled out a small charcoal marker, labeling each of the test tubes with a 'Nergal-Sample' followed by the numbered order she had taken them in. After that, she safely tucked away the vials in her bag before closing it back up.

"We're done with samples, dear. Now normally, I would like to interview you and see how much information I can get about monsters, but in a time like this that is unreasonable. Hether dear, the scissors are yours if you want to cut Miss Nergal's hair."

Hether gave an excited nod of excitement while Nergal proceeded to remove the torn cloth from her arm and scan the tiny amounts of blood it had absorbed.

"Thank you, Ma'am! I promise I won't break them."

The Third Fleet Master offered a wry chuckle as she lifted her bag from the Council Table and rested the strap on her shoulder.

"It's quite difficult to break scissors my dear, but I will hold you to that promise regardless."

Nergal watched as the Third Fleet Master then walked away from the Council Table and towards the Tradeyard, the bag on her shoulder bouncing as she walked. Hether smiled before taking a few steps closer, her hand reaching out and grabbing the scissors of the table as she moved.

"Please sit still. I don't want to accidentally cut you."

Hether said shyly as she inspected Nergal's hair. The Elder Dragon looked at her before straightening her posture, allowing the Handler to look at her hair more thoroughly. Nergal's hair was truly a mass of white, with it mostly puffy and taking up the entirety of her back before fading out at the back of her waist. The white threads were thick and soft, which seemingly didn't bother Nergal in the slightest.

Hether puttered as she looked at the mass of white she was supposed to cull. She glanced at Nergal, who was busy staring at the Huntsman at the other side of the Council area. Presumably, he was doing the same thing in kind.

Hether then went to work, endeavoring to cut away the forest of white starting at the bottom and working her way up.

Nergal sat patiently and quietly through the process, her thoughts focused on the Elder Dragon in the Rotten Vale. She wasn't familiar with an Elder Dragon species that lived in rotted bone and flesh, nor one that could survive living in the Effluvium the Rotten Vale was choked by. Perhaps in was a new species entirely?

Nergal's attention was then ripped away from her thoughts by a woman she didn't recognize fast walking into the Council area, a notepad in her hand. The Commander looked over as the woman walked up to him before turning to face her.

The woman leaned forward and began to whisper, unfortunately not quiet enough for Nergal's acute senses to miss.

"Eclipsen is comatose, but stable. "

She said. The Commander answered with a nod before leaning forward to hear the woman's words more closely.

"That's good. How long will it take for him to recover?"

The woman fiddled with her notebook before answering, her body language and fiddling showing clearly that she was tired and not happy with the results she got.

"Commander, with all due respect, it will be lucky he is even able to walk after recovery. He'll be healing for years after this. His bones were... I don't think there's a word for how broken they were. His muscles were torn, sprained and every other injury related to them. It's like he went through a meat grinder and a miracle is how he survived."

The Commander's face seemed to let go the stress and a look of grim sorrow overtook it. He lifted one his hands from his usual crossed arm position and ran it along his forehead. Nergal couldn't tell exactly how the older man was feeling, but she could tell this wasn't good news for anybody.

She didn't know how the Commander felt, but she did know how she felt. She managed to hold her somewhat bored expression as a feeling of sadness overtook her heart. The thought of Eclipsen, years from now, unable to walk. It broke her on the inside. But her heart quickly reformed from the pieces and regained it's strength. She would handle the grief later. Her plate had just gotten bigger, but she could handle that.

As Nergal regained herself, the Commander looked back at the woman before nodding in thanks, followed by a quiet 'thank you doctor'. The woman nodded before walking away at the same speed she had come in at.

Before Nergal could properly process what she had just learned, a shadow enveloped her sitting space. She looked up, noticing that the Huntsman was standing menacingly in front of her, his arms crossed and his body casting a shadow thanks to it blocking out some sunlight.

"I am disappointed I will not get to watch you fight."

The Huntsman said plainly and with some bitterness in his voice. Nergal looked up and sighed through her nose at the man. She just couldn't muster the pride in her abilities she needed when facing the Huntsman, not after the news the doctor had given.

"What do you propose I do?"

Nergal asked, failing to hide the tiredness in her voice. Hether stopped cutting the Elder Dragons hair to cast a worried glance at her before continuing her work. The Huntsman hummed in thought, his gaze trying to burn through Nergal only to meet a pair of yellow orbs that rivaled his intensity.

"I challenge you to an honorable duel. Until one of us is disarmed or unable to fight."

Nergal paused for a moment. A duel. Something she hadn't had in a long time. The last duel she had fought was with Eclipsen. She took a quick, deep breath and pushed the thought of the white haired Hunter from her mind. Perhaps a friendly fight with a different hunter would give her the push she needed to fight at one hundred and ten percent.

"I accept."

She finally responded, the tiredness in her voice switching to anticipation and excitement. The Huntsman grunted in satisfaction.

"The Special Arena at noon tomorrow. The Head Smith will give you directions."

He said before turning and walking back to his usual spot, lifting his Rathian longsword and beginning his trek to wherever he went to prepare for a hunt. Nergal allowed herself a small smile as she felt the tuffs of her hair fall off her head. She already felt a hint of excitement creep into her prideful side. It would be a chance to prove to everyone she was worthy of the task she had been granted.

"Almost done..."

Hether said as she clipped away at Nergal's hair, deftly avoiding the tiny spikes that hid themselves in the Elder Dragon's hair. Nergal remained almost like a statue, ignoring the tingly feeling she got when the Handler cut the hair around her ears. Another minute passed before Hether finally managed to get Nergal's hair to a point she found acceptable.

"Done!"

She said triumphantly as she stepped backward. Nergal let out a breath as she stood from the chair and brushed the leftover snipped hair from herself, even spreading and shaking her wings to rid them of the rogue white strands. The Elder Dragon then turned, giving the Handler a full view of her new look.

Instead of the long and almost tribal hair that Nergal had beforehand, she now had a smaller and much more controlled hairstyle that only stretched to her shoulders. Her hair was now flattened and the hair on the sides of her head framed her face extremely well. The tiny spines that protruded out of her hair still gave her an air of beastial nature, naturally complimenting the controlled feeling of her new hair.

Nergal reached up and patted her hair before smiling. It was far less intrusive than her earlier hair, which was a welcome change. Hether's smile only grew wider as she watched Nergal's attitude brighten.

"Thank you Hether. It feels much better."

"No problem. I'm just happy I made it look nice!"

Nergal allowed herself a quiet, wry chuckle. Her thoughts then drifted to how she was supposed to prepare for her task. Her armor would be done in a few days, and the two other teams were already busy preparing for their own quests. She lifted a hand and placed it on her chin in thought. She was interested to see exactly how hunters prepared to fight Elder Dragons, so perhaps she should start there.

"Hether, I'm going to see Richard and Nina. I'm curious as to how you humans manage to fight us Elder Dragons."

Nergal said with a teasing smile as she began walking towards the Canteen. It was likely they were still on their way to their room or wherever they planned to adjust their gear. Hether nodded and waved slightly, a bright smile on her face.

"Okay! When you get back I'll teach you all about Hunting!"

-Transition-

Richard sighed through his nose as he loaded his pouch with tranquilizer rounds, making sure to place the bullets in the section of his ammo pouch that was specifically dedicated to them. He knew they would be useless against an Elder Dragon, but it was better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.

Richard sat quietly at one of the bar stools at the Canteen, his body facing away from the counter since he needed the space to adjust his equipment. Other hunters were grabbing their meals and Nina sat opposite to Richard at one of the tables, sitting in the same manner as Richard to give the other hunters room to eat.

The sound of footsteps drew Richard's attention, causing him to glance upward at the noise. He watched as Nergal ascended the stairs and quickly scanned the Canteen before spotting him and walking towards where he was sitting.

"Hey there."

He greeted as Nergal approached, though he returned to loading ammunition into his pouch. Nergal stared at him for a moment before reaching over and grabbing one of the stools and moving it closer before taking a seat, being careful not to sit on her own tail.

"Show me what you use in your hunts."

Richard stopped what he was doing and looked over at Nergal. Her gaze remained steadfast as he searched her face for something she couldn't begin to guess. After a moment of silence he spoke.

"You sure? My setup is pretty complicated. Nina's is fairly easy to understand."

Richard said before pointing a thumb at the armor clad huntress. Nergal looked over and managed to glimpse as Nina set her Hammer down roughly, sending a small tremble through the ground accompanied by a deep thud. The other hunters at the table she sat at jumped slightly at the noise.

Nergal then looked back at Richard and answered in a deadpan manner.

"I'm sure."

Richard offered a chuckle as he set his ammunition pouch on the ground next to him and pulled his chosen Heavy Bowgun out in front of him. A glittering golden weapon that gleamed in the sunlight, the Bowgun seemed to bathe in the attention it was being given. Nergal's reptilian eyes widened like dinner plates at the weapon, marveling at the golden plating of the Bowgun.

"This, is my weapon of choice. She's called Endless Sky, but I call her Partner."

Richard said, fully aware of the cheesy nature of the sentence he had just spoken and even sporting a smug grin to boot. Nina proceeded to stop polishing her Hammer and groan loudly, but the noise failed to reach Nergal's ears as she admired the golden Bowgun. Richard then lifted the Bowgun, allowing the barrel to face the sky and pulling Nergal out of her small trance.

"I've had this baby since that first Amatsu... I think it fits pretty well given the circumstances, but it also has a hidden Thunder Element. It'll come in handy for the Kushala, at least."

He said as he popped open the ammunition chamber and checked the walls of the small hatch to see if it needed cleaning. Richard let his smile fall into a grimace as he peeked inside. A tiny, almost unnoticeable layer of rust coated the chamber. Evidently it needed cleaning, which Richard made a note to do after he showed off his equipment to Nergal.

He promptly closed the ammunition chamber with a clinking sound before lowering the Bowgun to the ground, letting the butt of the weapon rest on the floor and the rest lean comfortably on his leg. He then reached over into his bag and withdrew a completely different weapon.

Out of his bag he pulled a weapon unlike the typical Heavy and Light Bowguns. Instead of a normal Bowgun, the weapon was small and only spanned a total of about a foot and a half long, sporting an intricately carved wooden handle that was hand sized and a silver hand guard that was modeled after a collection of swirled shapes. Richard pressed a small metal lever and the front proceeded to click and fall downward, revealing the ammunition camber within.

"This is my side arm. Most Bowgun users don't carry one, but I started carrying one after a particular... Incident."

Richard said as he pulled out two rounds of spread shot ammunition and loaded them into the small shotgun-like weapon. Nergal raised an eyebrow at the unorthodox piece of equipment. The metal of the barrel and the hand guard were made out of silver colored material, which was a completely different color pattern than Richard's armor and Endless Sky.

As he finished filling the weapon with ammunition, Richard flicked his wrist and the barrel flew upward, clicking into place like a well oiled machine. Or more accurately, a recently repaired mechanism.

"It only holds two shots, but it's got enough stopping power to make a Tigrex look like it snorted pure fire."

Richard paused after the statement and Nergal took the opportunity to ask a question.

"What's it called?"

She asked, her tone full of curiosity. Richard leaned back a little and carefully inspected the weapon, his eyes searching for any scratches or dents in the metal he needed to work out.

"Haven't thought of one yet. For a while I considered 'Silver Spitter', but that's kind of on the nose, don't you think?"

Nergal smiled as the feeling of friendly comfort in the air soothed her worried mind, and her mouth responded with a rhetorical question.

"What's wrong with on the nose?"

Richard stopped looking at his side arm and looked over, his sky blue eyes filled with hints of slight surprise before a smile overtook his face once more. He lowered the side arm and let the barrel of the weapon rest in his free hand.

"I suppose there isn't much wrong with honesty."

He said with a chuckle as he fondly held the weapon in his hands. Nergal smiled at the sight. It was as if the hunter was holding an old friend and he was rediscovering what he liked about it most.

"More like bluntness."

Nina said from her seat, drawing both Nergal and Richard's attention. The Seregios armored hunter looked at Nina for a moment before letting out a gentle laugh.

"Yeah, that too."

A silence fell after that, with Richard finally beginning to clean Endless Sky of the rust that had accumulated in it and Nina beginning to sharpen her Hammer. Both of which Nergal wasn't the most interested in, so she decided to take her leave.

She walked quietly down the walkway toward the Workshop, her thoughts still plagued with the news about Eclipsen's condition. It still made her heart ache to think of him as a wounded man when he woke up. A Human so strong only to become so broken that he couldn't use that strength anymore.

She kept her eyes glued to the wooden panels as she walked, taking care to use her Monster senses to avoid running into each other, even though she wasn't looking where she was going. In truth, Nergal didn't know where she even wanted to go. She had woken up with a clear purpose and a view of the future that she had found comforting, but the thought of Eclipsen being unable to enjoy that future was heart wrenching.

Somehow, her thoughtful walk guided her somewhere she didn't expect to visit just yet. She stopped as she reached a doorway with a green curtain acting as the door, but the curtain had been hung to the side of the doorframe so nobody needed to push it out of the way. The sign next to the door said 'Infirmary'.

Nergal looked into the darkness of the room, her wavering will trying to muster any sort of courage that she had left. Even she was ready to admit that it was a difficult task; Her strong will could only carry her so far through the emotional turmoil that raged in her heart.

She breathed out, then took in a deeper breath. She needed to do this. She needed to see the man who had given her everything, even if she couldn't do anything to help him. And with one brave step, Nergal crossed the threshold into the Infirmary.

A bolt of surprise went through her when she found that quiet and clam greeted her rather than the groans of the injured or the wails of family. The air was clean and sterile which made Nergal's nose tingle slightly from the pungent smell of medical herbs, chemicals and equipment.

The room itself was large, with many curtains strung up around beds to keep patient's privacy and to block out any sunlight in case they wanted to sleep. A single pathway led to a large desk on the far side of the room, where the doctor Nergal had seen earlier worked. Many other branching pathways split off from the one in the middle, leading into and past the many curtained rooms.

Nergal let her legs guide her forward, with her clawed feet making quiet and gentle tapping sounds on the wood floor as she walked. She knew she wasn't emotionally ready to see Eclipsen, but her worries and anxieties wouldn't let her miss the opportunity.

The doctor worked patiently before Nergal approached her desk, and even failed to notice the Elder Dragon standing in front of her for a moment before her eyes gazed upward and she jerked slightly in surprise. The Doctor then quickly finished writing something on a sheet of paper and stood from her chair.

"You're um... Here to see him, right?"

The doctor asked, her voice full of concern and a slight hint of regret or something similar to it.

"Yes."

Nergal managed to say, nodding as she did so. Somehow her voice remained level and didn't break like she had expected it to, but she knew it was a matter of time before her emotions came crashing down on her.

The doctor nodded in understanding and gestured a hand down on of the branching hallways.

"He's right this way."

She said before leading Nergal down the hallway she had shown. Nergal could tell the doctor was nervous, as her steps were slightly rushed and somewhat jittery even if it was only the tiniest amount. Nergal sympathized with the woman. She would feel just as horrible if she was the one unable to save Eclipsen from being so broken.

Eventually the two came to a small curtained room near the back of the Infirmary, with the dark green sheet having been pulled completely closed. The doctor gripped the edge of the curtain and opened it, revealing what Nergal had been so scared yet anxious to see.

Eclipsen lay on a bed, his arm hooked up to a strange tube that was connected to a larger bag. His breathing was slow and his hair was slightly matted from the water and dirt that had not gotten the chance to be cleaned from the night before. Beside the bed and built into the wall were a set of metal slides that held black frames.

Nergal stepped into the room, letting the sight of Eclipsen fill her mind. He looked peaceful, but she knew it wasn't a pleasant peace. He was most likely in pain underneath the veil of sleep.

The doctor stood at the edge of the room, wringing her hands in nervousness and some other emotions that Nergal was failing to guess.

The Elder Dragon gazed sadly at Eclipsen before looking back at the doctor. Something had given her the strength to ask more, and her mouth moved accordingly.

"How bad is his condition?"

The doctor jerked slightly in surprise before her body relaxed, as if she had been waiting in anticipation for the very question. She sighed before walking into the room and up to the metal slide on the wall. She reached out and touched the side of the metal frame, but she hesitated for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

She asked with somber eyes. Nergal looked into the doctor's gaze and her heart quivered for a moment, emotions threatening to spill to the surface. The doctor's expression fell slightly; a sign that Nergal had allowed her steely gaze to falter. The Elder Dragon drew in a deep breathe and let her instincts guide her. She needed to do this, even if it felt as if her heart was wrapped in thorns.

"Yes. I'm sure."

The doctor nodded slowly and looked back at the metal slide. She moved her finger and a click sounded before the entire metal frame lit up. The black frames on the metal slide then came into focus, showing four pictures of horribly broken human bones. Nergal gazed with a morbid fascination at the images, with part of her curious as to how they managed to take such pictures and another part of her shocked and horrified at just how injured Eclipsen truly was.

While Nergal was busy looking at the X-ray images, the doctor reached over and lifted a clipboard from the rack that held the IV bag before passing it to the Elder Dragon. Nergal looked at the clipboard in confusion for a moment and the doctor spoke.

"His bones were broken so badly that I doubt he would've made the trip back to Astera in any from of conciousness. It looks like, from the damage to his muscles, that he was forced to hold his own broken bones together to do what he did. By the Five, I can only imagine the pain he was in..."

The doctor said, a wave of sorrow and sympathy emenating from her voice. She leaned into the edge of Eclipsen's bed and let out a shaky breath; it was clear that she was near her own breaking point as well.

But Nergal felt a new feeling well up within her. That hint of pride in Eclipsen's strength came crawling back, slowly but surely. To have the raw power to hold his own bones together with already wounded muscles. It was as if he had already known exactly what to do to achieve victory and hadn't given a second thought to the consequences to himself.

"Doctor, if I may."

The doctor looked up at Nergal as if she was about to be slapped. Instead, the Elder Dragon looked at Eclipsen with gleaming eyes and a melancholy expression.

"We shouldn't focus on the pain that he was feeling. We should focus on the strength he had to fight through it, and farther than that. Don't feel responsible, Doctor. This is something he chose to do. To protect us all."

Nergal said, not bothering to hide both the price and sadness in her voice. The doctor's expression brightened for a moment and a smile crept onto her lips.

"They always said Elder Dragons are wise."

Nergal spared a slight smile at the compliment before continuing to look at Eclipsen. The doctor pushed off the edge of the bed and stood, moving towards the curtain.

"I'll leave you alone for now."

She said before stepping out and closing the curtain. As soon as the green fabric met the edge of it's track, Nergal felt a crushing sorrow engulf her. Her face contorted into a grimace and she struggled to hold back tears. Acting quickly, she grabbed a small chair from the side of the room and sat down next to Eclipsen's bed, letting the clipboard fall gently next to his leg.

Nergal reached out to grab his hand but paused, her own shaky hand hovering above his. She didn't want to cause him more pain, but she needed to feel something, anything from him. She closed her eyes and let tears fall as she placed her hand as gently and gingerly as she could in his.

Eclipsen's hand was warm and comforting, even though he didn't have the conciousness to hold onto Nergal's own palm. The Elder Dragon felt her mouth open to let out a sob, but all that came out was a quiet and pained breath. She kept her hand on Eclipsen's as she placed her arm on the bed and her head on her arm, letting the tears fall freely from her face.

"I'm sorry..."

She whimpered. And in her sorrowful state, she didn't even notice as Eclipsen squeezed her hand ever so slightly.


End file.
